Red String
by Ryoma and Oz
Summary: In which fate brings two together by a red string. [A Miraculous Ladybug short story]
1. Chapter 1 - r

_"an invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet regardless of time, place, or circumstance. the thread may stretch or tangle but it will never break." -ancient chinese belief_

Ladybug began seeing things when she was thrown across the room. Granted, it was her fault in the sense that she wasn't paying attention, but a lot of of things were on her mind that day. Of course she just had to be sidetracked in the middle of a battle against an Akuma.

How it all began?

Everything started as a casual day in school. The sky was clear, the birds were chirping, and Adrien was looking as fabulous as always. Wait a minute; were her thoughts escaping again? Marinette shook her head wildly as she trudged up the stairs beside Alya. It was bad enough that she was a stuttering mess around him and couldn't hold a normal sentence to save her life, but creepily seeing sparkles around her crush? Marinette was a complete heart fluttering mess. She sighed, and her friend caught sight of this.

"Oh no. More love problems?" Alya teased her friend by nudging Marinette with her elbow.

Marinette tugged at her pigtails with stress as they walked across the gym, "You know it. I don't understand how anyone talk normally in front of the person they like. It's like giving a speech in front of the mayor; impossible!" She stared sadly at the back of Adrien's glorious golden locks that sparkled against the sunlight. Marinette pinched her cheeks to regain sanity, which was a bit impossible to do as of arriving at school. As they finally reached their classroom, the whole room was buzzing as if they were a swarm of bees. And of course, in any hive, there's the queen bee.

"Adrien, darling!" Chloe cried as she tackled him, puckering up and trying to land a kiss on the model's cheek. Her arms were tightly wrapped around his neck like a noose; unable to unravel and could possibly bring death.

"Hey Chloe," Adrien awkwardly pushed her face away, and Marinette felt a sense of relief. She obviously wouldn't release him, but Adrien was doing his best to maintain a good face distance.

As the two best friends headed for their seats, a flash of pink stopped them in their tracks. "Have you two heard about the latest craze?" Rose squealed as she clapped her hands together, as if she was on a sugar high. Knowing her, it was possible. She was the very definition of rainbows and sunshine; if you looked up the phrase online, there would be a picture of Rose. "The red string of fate?" Her short blond hair shook with excitement that she couldn't contain.

Alya leaned forward with interest, pushing her glasses up like a reporter would, "Hm? What's that?"

"It's all the rage in Japan right now, and people in France are starting to learn about it. I mean, I'd rather have my string be pink instead of red, but they're both pretty close," She rambled with her periwinkle eyes all aglow, "Anyways, it's about a supossedly invisible string that ties you with your eternal partner. And get this; it can stretch and tangle, but can't break! Kind of like Ladybug's yo-yo. Pretty interesting, right? But I wonder how it's red if it's invisible. I heard it's a thing that came from Ancient China and-."

"That's all I needed to know," Alya immediately typed into her cell phone the newest data she just received.

Marinette looked around to all the classmates bustling about, especially Chloe trying to make Adrien hold up his pinky finger like her, "Is that what everyone's talking about?"

Rose nodded in delight, "Yup! Rumor has it that some people can see it when meeting their lifelong partner. I bet that's what everyone's doing right now! I better hurry up too!" She ran down to the rest of her classmates, leaving the two behind.

Alya raised an eyebrow, "So, why don't you go check that out with Adrien?"

Marinette nearly landed on her face even though she was standing upright, "W-W-Wha?" She waved her arms in bizarre motions, "No way! I can't ask Adrien-, I mean, should I? No, I can't do that; I'll die!"

Alya chuckled at her flustered friend, "Well one thing's for sure: it probably isn't Chloe!" She pointed at the girl who was being pried off of Adrien by Nino. The bell rang and the door opened, revealing their French literature teacher, Miss Bustier. Everyone returned to their seats like a trail of ants, still jittery and ecstatic. Chloe reluctantly released her grip Adrien, but wasn't hesitant to blow kisses and wink at his direction. Marinette slunk into her seat with the red string wrapped around her mind. Maybe she could possibly ask her mom after school about it. Making a mental note about it, Marinette rested her face against her hands as she gazed at the back of Adrien's head.

As Miss Bustier began to ramble about how the Three Musketeers were similar to the strings on a ukulele, a loud crash resonated outside the classroom. "What was that?" She asked, "Children, stay silent for a moment." The teacher slowly approached the door and slowly turned the knob to get a look. It slammed open, throwing the teacher back. She screamed and crawled away in fear.

It was the principal, Mr. Damocles, except that it wasn't. He wore a black clad suit and a dark mask was pulled over his face. A silhouette of a purple butterfly outlined his face and faded away. Oh no, an Akuma, Marinette thought, looking at his direction, how am I going transform here?

"I am the Jurisdiction! Here to rightfully take control of what should be mine," He looked around with a creepy grin, almost murderous. He stomped his foot against the ground, and a large hole revealed the gym underneath, "Now, where are Ladybug and Chat Noir?"

"Children, escape through the back!" Miss Bustier yelled. The students left in a flurry, but Marinette ducked under her desk, making sure no one could spot her.

"Let's go, Tikki!" She whispered, and the little kwami emerged from her bag. "Tikki, transform me!" As soon as her transfiguration ended, she burst out from under the desk, "Stop right there!"

"Ladybug!" The principal shouted, "I demand you hand over your Miraculous!"

"In your dreams!" Ladybug tossed her yo-yo over a beam on the roof and swung across, giving the principal a good kick to the face. "Escape, ma'am!" She landed on the ground and gestured with her chin to Miss Bustier. The teacher scrambled away quickly, nearly tripping over herself. As soon as this happened, a loud smash came from the window, and an annoying black cat slunk in.

"Sorry to pro-cat-stinate, but I'm here!" Chat Noir smiled and bowed as if he was a performer. His cat-like pupils dilated when making eye contact with her. Ladybug rolled her own eyes; it wasn't time to be messing around. Her sight wandered around Mr. Damocles, trying to find an item that the Akuma could've been possessing. Her gaze landed on a pen that was in his suit's breast pocket.

"Chat Noir, the pen!" Ladybug yelled, tossing her yo-yo at the writing utensil. The principal caught it with his hand, and with inhuman strength, pulled Ladybug along and tossed her down the hole, releasing the yo-yo while doing so. "Eek!" Ladybug cried and grabbed a pipe hanging from the ceiling. The gym was right below here, and her classmates were distancing themselves as far as possible. She gracefully landed on the ground, deciding to be daring and flipping in the air while pulling her weapon back.

"You alright, my lady?" Chat Noir asked, pushing the Akuma-tized principal out of the classroom with his baton.

"Never been better!" She replied, swinging her yo-yo in circles for momentum. Ladybug tossed her weapon up, and it wrapped itself around Mr. Damocles' legs. Yanking as hard as she could, she pulled him down to the first floor. The principal pulled his pen out of his pocket, and uncapped it in midair. It turned into a full out sword, and he tried toss it at Ladybug.

"What sort of weapon is that?!" Chat Noir complained, grabbing Ladybug and leaping out of the way of the sword. Her yo-yo recoiled, and Mr. Damocles was immediately unraveled. Ladybug glared at the arm that was around her waist, and he let go with a sheepish grin.

I hope Adrien didn't see that, Ladybug thought as she looked worriedly at her classmates.

"Have you not been paying attention to your literature class? No matter; there will soon be a class dedicated to me!" He quickly slid and picked up his sword, brandishing it in front of him confidentially.

"I'll handle this, my lady," Chat Noir held his baton in a fencing fashion, "He doesn't seem like the cat-hletic type."

"You're ridiculous," Ladybug rubbed her temple from his bad puns, "But go for it."

Chat instantly launched himself at Mr. Damocles to be only pushed away by sheer force. The principal immediately made his way to Ladybug, and she got herself in a defense stance. He swiped his sword at her legs, and Ladybug jumped. It was a trick; as she was jumping, he brought his sword back up and batted her across the gym as if she was a baseball. She crashed into the wall, right besides the classmates hiding behind a corner.

Her vision began to dot with black spots. Ladybug blinked a few times, trying to get it back to normal. "Are you okay, Ladybug?" She heard Alya's voice from her left.

"No worries," She waved a hand, staring at the ground as her vision returned to normal, "I'll go finish this off." She got ready to toss her yo-yo up in the air, "Lucky-." Her eyes stopped at something hanging from her right pinky. It was a thin, red thread. Ladybug tried following where it ended, but it was hopelessly entangled in the mess by her classmates. "What is this?" She waved her hand, watching as the string followed her movements. Ladybug helplessly rubbed at her eyelids, but to no luck. The thread wouldn't disappear.

"What's wrong, Ladybug?!" Chat Noir shouted, "Needing a bit of help over here!" He kicked Mr. Damocles in the stomach and did a backflip onto the floor. Mr. Damocles swung his sword, but Chat blocked it with his baton.

"Y-Yeah," Ladybug said absentmindedly, still in awe of the red string wrapped around her finger.

She had no idea of what fate would bring her next.


	2. Chapter 2 - e

_"they say that people are born with a red string that they can't see tied to their pinky fingers, and the end is tied to the one you're fated to be with. but the thread is twisted this way and that, making it hard to find the other end." -Yoon Jae_

Although the duo were able to get rid of the Akuma, Marinette was still having a bit of trouble with the red string of fate. She couldn't concentrate on who was on the other end because of the fight, but apparently fate wanted to interfere with her completely. One great example of this was the constant tugging in strange directions on the way back to the Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Pastisserie. She did manage to catch people's strange gazes but pushed them off in the focus to get home. As soon as she arrived, Marinette did everything possible to get rid of it; cutting it with scissors, rubbing it off with soap, and even going as far as to gnaw it off with her teeth like an anxious beaver. All trials ended in vain, however, with the thread still looped around her pinky finger as if it were a present.

"I can't believe this!" Marinette complained as she flopped onto her bed. She began to bury her face deep within her pillow, muffling up her words, "I was so distracted during the fight! What would've happened if someone had gotten injured?"

"It's not your fault, Marinette," Tikki patted her cheek gently, giving comfort to the poor girl, "You took a pretty hard beating today, but I can't see the string so I won't be able to help you."

Marinette pulled the pillow off of her face and sat upright, holding up her pinky finger, "I don't understand though. It's like wearing clothes; if I don't pay attention to it, then I can't feel it. But when I'm concentrating, I can pull and tug at it. Why is that?" She was as lost as someone using a broken G.P.S.

Her kwami frowned, obviously concerned for the hero, "I don't know. None of the other Ladybugs have experienced this sort of issue."

"Maybe it's because I hit my head too hard," Marinette rubbed the base of her neck, "Or my vision got messed up. Either way, I'll have to apologize to Chat Noir next time we meet him for being so distracted." The sweet smell of a new batch of cakes wafted up her staircase, and Marinette instantly shot up, "That's right! I can ask mom about this!" Immediately, she zoomed down the stairs, leaving a giggling Tikki behind.

Her feet thudded down each step like a set of heartbeats.

 _Thud._

 _Thud._

 _Thud._

"Mom!" Marinette called as she turned the corner, "I need some help."

Her mother turned, made of color and sugar. Frosting painted her cheeks and her forehead caked with powder. "Hurry, sweetheart," Sabine said as she dashed across the kitchen, "Your father and I are busy with a sudden rush of customers." She pushed down the edges of her traditional outfit, not wanting to get it dirty.

"Do you have any information on the red string of fate?" Marinette leaned over the counter, watching her mom dash like an animated character.

"Why is this necessary?" Her mother replied with a curious glint in her eye, even though her embrace was filled with cookies and cake slices. Sabine slid around the tiled floor like a professional ice skater, grabbing her items from one place and placing it in her already full arms.

Marinette hesitated, but decided to go for it. "I... Mightbeabletoseemystring," She quickly said, rushing her words so she wouldn't sound ridiculous. Sadly, it backfired.

"Your string?" Sabine paused, halfway out the kitchen but obviously very curious of her daughter's words. "I'm going to have to leave now; can't leave your unreliable father behind." She winked, causing Marinette to override with a fit of giggles, "Why don't you try following it? Maybe you'll find someone interesting on the other end."

And with such wise words of wisdom that a mother should offer, Sabine ran out of the room to finish her sales. Marinette, obviously lost, sprawled onto the counter in exasperation. Mixtures of emotions ran upon the teenager's face, "Rose said that some people can see it when meeting their lifelong partner. Please don't tell me that my partner is the school's principal!"

Tikki flew down the stairs and burst into an explosion of laughter. It sounded like a chorus of bells; ringing with clarity and cheerfulness. "That's ridiculous, Marinette," The kwami sat on the hero's shoulder, trying to contain her outburst, "But your mother is right. Try following it!"

"The distance might be far, though," Marinette frowned; her eyebrows knitting together as if they were being sown into one. That might be one image that she could live without. She rubbed the gap in between them to double check. Now, on finding the other end. "This might call for the help of a little superhero."

"This string is just endless!" Ladybug leaped from building to building, pulling at the string like a mountain climber. She often found it tangled with other citizens' threads, which she happened to see as well. They spotted her and cheered, but she merely focused on the task at hand, or rather, the task in her hand. She had spent a certain amount of time trying to find the end, but her luck just wasn't helping today.

Her earring gave a reminding beep, giving Ladybug a certain amount of time to figure out where the string led to. She perched herself on the edge of someone's balcony, tugging at the string. It caused a wave of vibration to flow down, and the other strings tangled with hers waved along. In the corner of her eye, a black figure jumped from the sky right next to her, grabbing her left hand and kissing it gently, "Hello, My Lady. Might I say you're looking purr-fect today?"

"Not now, Chat," Ladybug grinned and pushed his face away, "I'm busy."

"Oh?" The messy blonde haired boy sat himself down and crossed his legs, "No Akuma attack? I thought that was going on when I saw you."

"Not that," She turned to her partner, her gaze catching the string entangled on his left pinky which also cascaded down into the streets. "You're going to think I'm crazy if I told you." A light breeze whistled by, giving its singing compliments as it blew past Ladybug's ponytails.

"Probably not. Mostly because I'm crazy about _you_ ," Chat Noir smiled flirtatiously, but Ladybug merely chuckled in response.

"Ever since the Jurisdiction threw me across the gym, I've been seeing things. This," She held up her pinky finger for him to see. He grabbed her hand enthusiastically, then frowned as he realized he couldn't see it and Ladybug yanked herself free, "There's a red string on my finger. Some ancient Chinese belief says that-."

"It should lead you to the person your destined to? That explains why you were so distracted during the fight earlier," Chat nodded, fully understanding what she was trying to explain, "I heard about this in class." He muttered under his breath so Ladybug couldn't hear, "In the most annoying way possible."

"What a coincidence!" Ladybug exclaimed, clapping her hands together, "So have I. But it must've meant that I met the person I'm supposed to be with. I'm trying to figure that out right now."

"Is it me?" Chat wiggled his eyebrows which were hidden under his mask, but nevertheless was noticed by the red-clad superhero.

"You wish," Ladybug laughed at his absurdity. Then a thought came to mind. She grabbed to the string and wiggled it once more. As she was doing this, Ladybug looked at the string on Chat's hand. In a few seconds, the red thread shook as well. She looked down, realizing that both of their strings were entangled with the many civilians wandering around Paris. _It probably isn't him_ , she thought.

Another beep came from her earrings.

"Although I wish I could see my string," Chat Noir held up both of his hands, unable to figure out which hand the string was on, "Then I could confirm that it is connected to yours, My Lady."

"Maybe if you hit your head against something hard enough. It worked for me," Ladybug pulled out her yo-yo, "I have to go now. Catch you later, kitty." She launched the yo-yo in the direction of her house, accidentally hitting Chat Noir in the head with it in the process.

"Me-owch!" He complained as he rubbed the top of his head and stroked his cat ears gingerly.

"Sorry, Chat," She smiled apologetically, "But my Miraculous is running out; I've been out here too long." Ladybug took a step back, getting ready to jump.

"But My Lady," Chat Noir tried to reach out in desperation, "Won't you stay any longer? Keep a poor cat company?" He pouted, hoping to win her over.

"Next time," Ladybug rubbed his head where she hit him earlier, "See you later." And with that, she took off into the Paris afternoon, hoping to get home before Alya would visit.

Chat sighed, knowing that his efforts were always fruitless. He laid himself down on the balcony, sprawling himself in a patch of sunlight and stretching his arms to the sky like a sleepy cat would do. A quick movement of red caught his eye, and he sat up instantly, thinking it was Ladybug that returned. Instead, giving him a mixture of emotion, was his own red string, tied up in a little bunny-eared bow on his pinky.

His cat ears perked up instantly. "Woah!" Chat shouted with shock, "The string!" He stood up instantly, getting ready to follow Ladybug to prove her wrong, but the ring on his finger gave him a warning. "Not now," Chat complained, quickly jumping into a nearby alley. With a flash of green, his outfit dissipated and he was back to being Adrien Agreste.

Plagg flew from his ring like a deflated balloon, and Adrien swiftly caught the miniature cat in his hands. "Uhh, I'm hungry," The kwami moaned in agony, "Cheese! Camembert, to be exact!"

"Of course, Plagg," Adrien rubbed the kwami's head consolingly, "I'll get you some when we get home. Then after that, time to find the person at the end of this string."

He raised his pinky with high hopes and left the alleyway, thinking of one person in mind.


	3. Chapter 3 - d

_"he became obsessed and started following the thread. all his decisions were made towards the idea of finding the woman who shared the red thread with him." -joy l._

The mere fact that Adrien was able to see his string thanks to Ladybug's yo-yo only caused him to think about her more. He stared at the ever changing colors on Alya's Ladyblog, hoping to find some answers. "You're helpless," Plagg sighed as he downed another slice of cheese, "She's got two eyes, legs, and arms like every other ordinary person. Ladybug isn't tasty looking like Camembert!" The rotting stench from the snack infiltrated Adrien's thoughts and forced him to shut down his thoughts on the thread for a mere second.

"Plagg! Go eat your cheese somewhere else," Adrien complained. Plagg mumbled under his breath something about finding a good place to shove up a cheese, but Adrien merely ignored the comment and swiveled back in his chair at the screen. "Alya, please don't fail me now..." He muttered as he clicked article upon article for any clues that could lead him to someone.

Anyone.

But none came up.

Ladybug was doing a great job at hiding her identity, as he was with himself. This frustrated him. He groaned, slouching in his seat and heaving a heavy sigh. The small kwami noticed the boy's depression and pushing the thoughts of cheese aside, which in Plagg's case was nearly impossible, tried to cheer him up. "On the bright side, you've got school this morning," Plagg said, floating over to the boy like a bobbing balloon, "Maybe the so called love of your life will be there-."

"Brilliant idea, Plagg!" Adrien shot up in an instant, grabbing the surprised kwami out of the air, who, mind you, was squealing in fear, and shoved the creature into his backpack, "I'll keep an eye out on the string when I get there." He smiled down at the red thread with was tied around his pinky. As he felt the nearly unnoticeable tug from the string pull him a bit forward, his grin grew wider, nearly Cheshire-like. Slinging the bag over his shoulder, the young model zoomed down the stairs, completely neglecting his breakfast and pushing right past his father's assistant.

A flash of worry appeared on Nathalie's face, but was immediately erased due to her distant demeanor. Her mind was unable to comprehend why the boy was so energetic, especially ever since the disappearance of his mother which caused his family to erupt into chaos. "Is everything alright?" She called as Adrien rushed to the doors, clutching a clipboard with his schedule tightly to her chest, "Should I call your father?" She honestly didn't want to report to Gabriel Agreste that his son was acting strange, as of wanting to keep her job, but it seemed necessary at the time.

Adrien looked over the diligent assistant quickly. Her tight bun and turtleneck sweater emphasized her uptight behavior. Even though even though everything she wore was black to demonstrate her formality, such as the black dress jack and matching pants, the red streak in her hair was her personal rebellion against the world. "No worries, Nathalie!" Adrien waved enthusiastically as he pushed the doors wide open, "I'll be heading out with the Gorilla."

"Remember, you have a modeling shoot at three-," Nathalie tried to say, but was quickly cut off by the sudden slam of the door. She rubbed her temple while a churn of emotions burned inside her. "I'll tell the cook to stop preparing for breakfast, then," She swiftly scribbled on her clipboard and headed back towards the dining room. Her dark heels clicked against the floor, with each sound interfering with the silence of the mansion.

 _Click._

 _Click_.

There was a pause.

She had stopped in her tracks. In that moment, Nathalie was spontaneously hit with the realization of how quiet the house was.

Adrien slid into his seat as if he was mimicking a Michael Jackson dance move and held up his fist. "Woah, dude, why are you so hyped up today?" His best friend Nino chuckled, bumping his own fist against Adrien's. "But I'm glad you're in a good mood. Cough up."' The rims on his glasses glistened, reflecting his suspicions.

"It's nothing you need to know," Adrien chuckled while popping open a bottle of water to quench his thirst, and while the blonde gulped it down, Nino snapped his fingers as if a light bulb went off in his head.

" _Dude._ I got it! You like someone," He enthusiastically elbowed Adrien, who choked on his water and spat it out in an instant while locked in a flurry of coughs.

"Wha-, no-!" Adrien heaved with his chest tightening. His throat tickled, and he continued to cough.

This sight was immediately beheld by Marinette and Alya who had just walked into the classroom and Adrien's face immediately flushed with embarrassment. He wiped at his mouth in a hurry, but paused as Marinette held something out to him.

"D-Do you need this?" The girl gave a glance as she handed him a small, white handkerchief. Her forehead wrinkled with worry and as he examined her closer, he realized that there was a small spray of freckles across the bridge of her nose. Her cheeks were painted with a light pink as if chosen with the most delicate of colors on a palette. The crystal blue in her eyes seemed to strangely remind him of someone familiar, but he couldn't place a pin on it.

Snapping out of the trance, Adrien reached for the small piece of cloth, "Oh, yes. Thank you, Marinette." He gave her a kind smile, in which inflamed the girl's face even more. As he took hold of the soft fabric, something caught the corner of his eye.

A red string.

Tightly wrapped around the girl's own pinky finger was a tiny bow, like on a present on Christmas. His eyes looked down at his own string, remembering his objective, but realized that it were intertwined and knotted up among the rest of the classmates in the room. Adrien shook his pinky slightly, not wanting to look too strange. The string trembled a bit, but stopped due to all the ties in the room.

Marinette's eyes widened for a brief second and shook her head, as if dismissing a thought. After wiping the handkerchief against his mouth and the table, he looked up at the shy girl, "Do you mind if I hold onto it? I don't want to give it back dirty."

She waved her hands in protest, "No, it's fine! I can wash it when I get home..." She reached for the cloth in his hand.

Adrien immediately stopped her by taking her hand in his, and was surprised by how soft it was. "Believe me. I'll clean it up for you," He gave her a wink, and Marinette froze up, laughing nervously. He looked at her hands, and the strings on their fingers almost looked as if they were connected.

Alya and Nino were stifling their laughter in the back, excited by the scene before them. Adrien let go of her hand, and she finally smiled back, "O-Okay. I-I'll see you later then..?" She was quickly pushed by Alya up the stairs to the seats behind them.

Nino slapped him playfully on the back while pushing his glasses up in place, "Man, you were smooth!"

Adrien chuckled, "Coughing up my water was smooth?" He opened up his bag and gently placed Marinette's handkerchief next to a giggling Plagg. He frowned. "What's so funny?" Adrien whispered to the kwami.

"Nothing," Plagg held his tiny stomach as his shoulders shook, "I just have the feeling that something funny's gonna happen soon."

"The choking on water bit didn't do it for you?" Adrien groaned, rolling his green eyes. The door opened again, and Ms. Mendeleiev, the teacher, entered the room. Her white lab coat hung on her body like a dead animal's skin. He quickly sat upright, because Ms. Mendeleiev had to be one of the strictest teachers he ever had.

Halfway through the day, Adrien tried to follow his string up and around the classroom. Alya? No, it was obvious that she and Nino were meant to be by the sight of their strings. Chloe? Anyone but her. Marinette..? He turned around to the girl behind him, who was eagerly scribbling something down in her journal. A new design for an outfit, perhaps.

"Alright class, let us begin the next subject. Please open up your physics books on your tablets to pages one hundred and-," She was interrupted by a loud _CRASH_ outside the window. A being flew by the window, too fast for the human eye to see. "It's another one. Class, we'll end quickly today. Read over those pages for homework!" She ran out of the class, with everyone right behind her.

Adrien waited for everyone to leave, and opened his bag again. Plagg flew out, shaking his head, "You weren't able to find the love of your life?"

He shook his head, "No, but I have a feeling that I'll be seeing her soon."


	4. Chapter 4 (interlude) -

_filler chapter for the space in between titles_

Hawk Moth was ready. He was ready his whole life, and everything in it was leading up to this very moment. His environment was perfect to cast his first Akuma. His surroundings were constantly cloaked in darkness. The air was chilled and cold, just the way his evil soul liked it. Actually, it was his kwami who enjoyed the weather, not him, but it was rather obvious that he would eventually succumb into his role. And besides, he had gloves on. His hands were gripped tightly around his cane, mentally preparing himself for what was to come.

The man always wondered why his mask had to be so tight and was necessary to envelope his entire head. Why couldn't he possibly have a face mask like his nemeses, Ladybug and Chat Noir? Would it be an instant and dead giveaway if his luscious locks or his chiseled jawline were to be revealed? He couldn't protest though; he could push through the over straining headgear for absolute power. As a bonus, he looked snazzy in his purple suit. If we were to get technical, he would be wearing a dark purple dress shirt with a black vest, a light pink butterfly-shaped brooch with a purple button in the center, and black dress pants. Whatever floats your boat, or in Hawk Moth's case, whatever flies your little Akuma.

The room was pitch black, with no light to shine the way. How he didn't slam his face into the wall a couple of times, Hawk Moth didn't know. Okay, actually, he did. But he had dignity to keep, or whatever he had left. Luckily, no one was there to witness it.

To be honest, Hawk Moth was a little lonely. He couldn't possibly voice this out because he had this all powerful reputation to hold up, like his dignity. Ladybug and Chat Noir had each other, but he only had himself and the people he could akumatize, and frankly, he would prefer not forcing people to become his friend. That would only make him sound straight up lonely. Compelling someone to steal magical items or to become BFFs with a villain were two separate topics. But would _you_ want to be alone in a dark and empty observatory where the only living beings around were white butterflies and you could barely make it into the middle of the room without stepping on them? No? Hawk Moth didn't think so.

This whole thing made Hawk Moth sound like a hypocrite, but it didn't matter. He was about to have his first go at getting the two superheroes' Miraculous. He closed his eyes, calming and readying himself to sense any strong feelings of negativity and depression while settling the butterflies in his stomach (not literally, of course. That would be disgusting). Hawk Moth would be the monarch now.

A minute went by.

Then another.

And now Hawk Moth was beginning to get impatient. "Why isn't anyone getting upset?!" He yelled, not realizing that he himself was getting upset. Pounding his cane against the ground caused a few butterflies to stir, "Where's the kid who cries when he drops his ice cream, or the high school student who failed another chemistry test? This isn't Disneyland!" Hawk Moth placed his head in his hands in exasperation, "Ridiculous." He knew he should've signed up for those meditation classes.

Suddenly, like lightning, something struck him. He froze in his spot. The window of his lair began to open, and Hawk Moth winced at the sudden blue and mysterious light. The butterflies immediately took flight as the window opened to full capacity, fluttering around in the air like a swarm of bees. It was oddly a lot more distracting than Hawk Moth originally thought it would be.

"Ah, what happened was..." The powers of his kwami gave him the ability to see who was experiencing such sorrow, and he instantly frowned, "A young girl, possibly in her teens, doesn't know what to write for her latest chapter online? Will this even suffice?" He squinted as he tried to zoom in on his vision to get a clear look. The girl was angrily pounding her face into the keyboard, obviously engulfed in frustration. His face grew into disgust. He didn't want to mess around with such a mentally distressed human, but this was his only chance. Hawk Moth shook his head and continued with his monologue, "Unable to rid yourself of writer's block? Have no fear, my soon to be Akuma, for it will be your readers who will dangle on a cliffhanger."

He held out his leather gloved hand, waiting for a butterfly to land. Nothing happened. He swiftly looked around at all the butterflies flying around his head, not giving a single care in the world about his situation. "Blast it!" He grumbled, reaching into his pocket, pulling out a small plastic bottle and spraying a sort of all natural mixture onto his hand that would attract the ghastly creatures.

Holding out his hand once again, he watched with anticipation as his first butterfly gently landed onto the palm while moving very gingerly. "This is it! The beginning of a new regime," Hawk Moth smirked with a hint of delight, like a child who lost their first tooth. His right hand began to move to being the akumatizing process, but he couldn't hold himself back.

Due to his excitement, he accidentally brought his hand down a bit faster than he was expecting.

And there was an unfortunate _squish_.

Then the awkward silence began. Hawkmoth didn't dare to move. He slowly started to remove his hands, but closed them back together after discovering the disgusting sight. His light blue eyes darted around, hoping to find anything to wash off the residue with. But of course, since a villain's lair had to be secluded and empty according to the manual _Evil Lairs for Dummies,_ there wasn't a nearby sink. He sighed, feeling a little tickle behind his eyes. Perhaps the lonely man could wash his hands with his tears.

Sadly, for Hawk Moth, this was just the beginning of his problems.


	5. Chapter 5 - s

_"following the tangled and complicated thread, searching towards the other side, and I will finally catch you." -manga-hands_

Adrien Agreste thought he discovered his chance when the Akuma arrived. He held out his hand with the silver ring next to his red string, "Plagg, transform me!" The poor kwami, who didn't have time to eat due to his laughter, was torn away from his block for cheese and was sucked up into the ring. His held back hair was immediately released into a messy bedhead, and the clothes he wore grew tight and taut around his arms and legs.

After the green lights died down and he was in his outfit, Chat Noir suddenly felt a surge of confidence. It filled him from the top of his head all the way down to the toes of his feet, and it tingled like a static shock. He finally felt free. Chat pulled out his silver staff, twirling it like a baton enthusiastically. "Now, where's my lady?" As soon as these words left his lips, a flash of red darted at the corner of his eye and he saw a familiar and assertive Ladybug swing by on her yo-yo outside of the window.

They locked gazes for the briefest of moments. Her crystal, blue eyes that always managed to see straight through him were peering straight into his own. Time froze between the two. Chat frowned. He knew those eyes. He thought this thought before. But from where? A strong tug from his red string pulled the poor cat forward, causing him lose his train of thought and trip over himself in the classroom. Luckily for him, for once he may add, the place was evacuated so no one would have to see that embarrassing moment.

A blare from his phone erupted, and he stood up quickly while shifting the baton so he could rest it against his ear, acting nonchalant. "Hey there, Bugaboo. What _purr_ -fect timing! I was about to call and ask if you wanted to check out this nearby restaurant with me-."

"Not with the puns now, Chat! I saw you in the school, and now that you've arrived, can you come help me?" The annoyance in Ladybug's voice only caused him to find it very adorable. "I'm having a bit of trouble due to that ridiculous red string. _We're_ a team, remember?"

Even though it was only a simple sentence which merely consisted of four words, they hit Chat Noir straight in the heart with a strong impact. The two of them were a team. Together. Chat's fingers tightly grasped his own string, knowing that the only person he wanted to see on the other end was the love of his life. Launching himself forward like a pole vaulter, he flew through an open window and rushed Ladybug's aid. Twirling the baton in the air, Chat Noir created a brief propeller that brought him gently to the ground.

Ladybug, being the amazing superhero she was, dodged an oncoming attack by performing a series of back flips before standing in her battle pose by his side. "Finally, you're here," She breathed a sigh of relief, "Now come on! Are you ready to fight?" Her pigtails shifted as a soft breeze blew through them, revealing the nape of her neck. A light scent of sugar hung around her, almost like freshly baked cookies. It reminded Chat of someone's bakery, but he couldn't focus on that now; there were more important matters at hand. Or, on his hand.

"Wait just a moment, my lady, I _meow-_ st tell you something," He tried holding up his pinky finger for her to see, but sadly her emotions were solely set on the Akuma in front of them. She rushed to the sight, swinging her yo-yo to create momentum. Chat shook his head, taking his thoughts off the thread and ran right behind her.

"Bye bye, little butterfly," Ladybug smiled as she released the white butterfly into the air. It fluttered away into the skies of Paris, and soon disappeared from their line of sight. Chat grinned at the smiling girl, burning the image into his memory so he couldn't possibly forget. She was simply the definition of perfection: the way she moved effortlessly in a fight, how she could make a flawless plan within a few seconds, and the way she would grin whenever they got the job done.

 _Perfection_.

The two held out their fists and bumped them against each other, continuing their tradition every time they succeed in an Akuma attack. "Good job!" They said together in sync. A wave of warmth flooded his heart as this happened, allowing him to calm down after an exhausting yet exhilarating fight with his lady.

A small beep echoed in Ladybug's ear, reminding her that her transformation was about to wear off soon. "I'll have to leave now," She said while gently touching the piece of jewelry, "See you, Chat." Ladybug waved as she began to swing her yo-yo.

Chat quickly grabbed her arm, holding her back. She recoiled like a spring in surprise, and turned around with her eyes widening and full of question. Holding her arm, Chat realized how light and thin the superhero was by how his index and thumb could easily encircle her wrist. "But I need to explain something to you-!" He had no time, and all the citizens surrounding them for photos didn't make untangling the threads any easier. He had to tell her. They could've been fated together, and the moment he just earned was almost over.

She shook her head, and the earring began to beep again, "Next time, kitty. We'll talk over it over tonight's patrol. Right now, I've got to recharge and figure out who's been pulling me all over the city!" Soaring off into the sky, Ladybug took flight and disappeared over the rooftops of Paris.

Almost instantly, the string on Chat Noir's finger yanked him forward, and once again, the cat who was in desperate need of love nearly fell on his flawless model face. This time, it was witnessed by the people around him to contradict his earlier luck, and due to embarrassment he pushed himself away as far away from the scene as possible like a pole vaulter thanks to his helpful weapon. He traveled through the air with the wind stinging his cheeks.

He couldn't lose it now: the opportunity to talk with Ladybug once again and at the perfect time where not many people would be around. Would she be the one who was on the end of his string? Would he be able to learn of her identity?

But a somewhat worse thought entered his mind.

If they were to reveal their identities to each other, what if Ladybug knew who he was... And _hated_ him?

Chat shook his head, completely enveloped in doubt. It had to be impossible. Back at the museum, Ladybug mentioned that she was older than five thousand years old; there's no possibly way that someone like her could know who he was. That didn't entirely settle down his questions, though. A beep came from his ring and a print disappeared from the green paw, reminding him that the transformation was beginning to wear down.

An idea hit him. In reality, it was a pigeon that decided to take him down while he was halfway into the sky and caused him to hold the world's loudest sneeze while falling to the concrete ground. He groaned, rubbed the back of his head which had slammed very uncomfortably against the floor and sat himself upright. As he looked around and tried to get a sense of his surroundings, he spotted a local bouquet shop with a couple purchasing one together. They seemed genuinely happy together, and his eyes wandered down to the red string connecting the two.

 _That's right_ , Chat Noir thought, _Last Valentine's Day, I wasn't able to tell Ladybug my feelings. If our strings are connected, I could possibly do something to make up for it._ He then decided to return home to the Agreste Mansion, which luckily wasn't too far, release his transformation (while ignoring Plagg's continuous complaints for a new longing for Swiss while his Camembert desires were undying), and walk back onto the streets without Nathalie or the Gorilla noticing anything. His footsteps were light as he tried to figure out what to get for her.

Plagg clung to his shoulder, moving up and down on the bumpy ride like a rollercoaster. "So you're gonna buy her a nice, romantic gift? Why not cheese? I'm sure she'll love it!" The kwami giggled, "I wish you gave me cheese on Valentine's day.

Adrien sighed, running his fingers through his blonde hair. "It's a week late. Would she still accept it?"

The black kwami's eyes grew with delight, and he flew up right into Adrien's face with enthusiasm, "So you're actually going to follow my advice for once and get her cheese?! Aw man, this has got to be the happiest day of my life!"

He immediately shoved Plagg under his white shirt, hoping no one noticed anything out of the blue. "No, Plagg. I'm going to ask someone else's ideas. You've recharged, right?"

Plagg's head popped out, shaking it wildly and obviously disappointed that Adrien didn't listen to him again, "If I say no, will I get more Camembert?" The word itself was enough to remind Adrien of the stench, causing him to gag as a reflex. He wondered if Ladybug's kwami ate anything near as disgusting as Plagg did.

"Get ready to go, Plagg," Adrien smiled while ignoring the comment and holding up his ring. He ran behind a building where no one would obviously go look. Plagg flew out his shirt, swirling into the ring as the transformation began again. As it finished, Chat tightly grasped his pole, preparing himself to take his leave.

"It's time to find a certain Princess that I know of."


	6. Chapter 6 - t

_"if this is not a dream, then please, make it so that the thread of fate that binds us never break up" -hirano mayu_

Let's just say that Marinette didn't scream when a black cat flew into her room. No? Alright then, she did scream. But wouldn't you be surprised if a leather-clad superhero came out of nowhere? It was a casual Paris afternoon; the akuma was taken care of, she just had one of her father's famous chocolate croissants and was working on a new outfit for Alya's birthday. Nothing could possibly go wrong.

Except for when she accidentally used her red string to sew up the hem. "Tikki, I'm completely out of it," Marinette sighed, carefully unstitching each stitch to make sure neither her thread nor Alya's dress would be damaged in the process. Her gentle fingers pulled the thread out, and the string wiggled as if it were alive.

A small breeze blew in from her room's open window with droplets of sunlight speckling the ground.

The tiny kwami fluttered to Marinette's side, picking up leftover scraps of fabric strewn over her desk. "It's not your fault that there's a red string interfering with your daily life," She said as she tossed the scraps into the nearest garbage can, "But I think you should've at least tried to listen to Chat Noir for a few minutes. It seemed urgent."

"The Miraculous was going to wear out; what more could I have done?" Marinette placed her needle down while trying to find valid excuses. "And with the string in the way, taking down the Akuma took twice as long." She laid her head down against the table, "That stupid string. What if it isn't Adrien at the end of it?" She shuddered, wondering who else it could've possibly been on the other side. Her body tensed, constricting and tightening as if being compacted into a tiny, inescapable box.

Tikki fluttered over and sat herself down in her Miraculous holder's hair. She noticed the stiffness in Marinette's shoulders from stress, and tried to help her relax, "That shouldn't stop you; just because a red string you are able to see tells you one thing doesn't mean you're unable to follow your heart!" Marinette smiled at her kwami's comforting words and rubbed Tikki's head with her index finger. Tikki giggled, glad that Marinette was feeling better. She was like a ray of sunshine: warm, bright and full of life, but when dimmed it is hard to get back. Tikki knew that.

Right in the middle of that warm, fluffy moment, a black blur moved from the corner of Marinette's eye and it tumbled onto her floor from her open window. She screamed, leaping back in her seat with her arms flailing and bending in strange ways. Tikki ducked away as fast as she possibly could, hiding behind the nearest object and peeking out nervously.

The figure stood upright, revealing a black cat clothed in skintight leather. A belt-like tail dangled from behind him and wriggled like a worm. A mangle of blonde hair draped over his bright, green eyes and a crooked smile was painted on his face. "Good afternoon, Princess. I hope you didn't mind my _claw-_ some entrance," He said, confidently placing his hands on his hips.

"C-Chat Noir!" Marinette exclaimed while hustling onto her feet, quickly looking over her shoulder to find Tikki safely hidden away, "What are you doing here?"

"Is it wrong to grant my Princess a visit?" He got onto one knee, grabbed her right hand and kissed its back softly. Her eyes began to wander down at their hands, mostly his pinky, but she jerked her eyes away. She didn't want Chat to realize that she could see the strings, which could eventually lead to him figuring out her identity. She laughed nervously, pulling her hand away and quickly noticed something behind the superhero.

The collage of Adrien Agreste photos.

Her breath drew into a thin hiss, not escaping Chat Noir's attention. "Is something wrong?" He began to turn around, but Marinette immediately grabbed his shoulders and swiveled him around.

"Aha, what are you about talking-, I mean talking about?!" She rushed and tumbled over her words like a ball rolling down a hill. She most definitely couldn't let Chat Noir see them; what if he knew Adrien and told him about a creepy stalker in his class? "Now what can I do for you?" Marinette gestured towards the couch, far away from her desk and the collection of images where Tikki was discretely trying to collect.

Chat Noir followed her lead, sitting himself down and crossing his legs in the process, "Actually, this might require a bit of _purr-_ suasion, but I was wondering if I could _paw_ -sibly get your advice."

"Two puns in a row," Marinette muttered, "Could this day get any better?"

"What was that?"

"Nothing!"

Chat Noir leaned forward in his seat and Marinette realized how bright his eyes actually were. They seemed to draw her in, like an endless abyss. The suit defined his muscles; every time he shifted, the suit revealed-, what was she thinking? She shook her head, pushing away her betraying thoughts. "See, I'll be visiting my Lady later tonight for our evening patrol and I wanted to get her something special before I meet up with her. Do you have any ideas in mind; you being a upcoming designer and all."

Something zipped by in Marinette's mind. "Wait a minute; how did you know that I wanted to be a designer?" She said suspiciously, squinted at the cat.

Chat Noir's eyes shot wide open and he waved his hands in protest, "U-Uh, see here, I saw your designs in your room!" He quickly pointed towards her sketches hanging on her walls, "And it's no secret that you're talented! I know that good looking model, Adrien Agreste, modeled for one of your derby hats for a competition. It's all over town."

"Ah." Marinette nodded in agreement. That would make sense on how he knew about her designs; everyone in Paris practically knew Adrien.

Chat placed a hand on his chest and taking a sigh, as if he just escaped something deadly. As did Marinette, when she noticed that the majority of the Adrien photos were gone from her work area. She secretly reminded herself to reward Tikki with extra chocolate chip cookies for dessert. "So, anything in mind?" Chat interrupted her thoughts, waving a clawed hand in front of her face.

"Oh!" Marinette exclaimed, pretending to be mildly interested due to the fact that she was helping him decide what to get her, "Uh, jewelry? All girls love those. Bouquet of flowers?" She now had to figure out what to give Chat in return, but what in the world would that cat want? A ball of yarn?

He shook his head, "No, I already thought about those. Ladybug deserves so much more than trivial, non-lasting items." A sad expression dawned on his face, and Marinette was instantly struck with sympathy for no apparent reason. She reached out, gently stroking Chat's blonde hair in steady, downward motions. He froze at her touch, utterly confused on why she would do so.

"Why don't you try being yourself?" Marinette recommended slowly, being cautious to not step over the line, "I'm sure she will appreciate you just for being you; no need for buying anything over the top. She doesn't seem like the type to be interested in those sorts of things, anyways."

"Being myself..." Chat Noir murmured. He shot up in an instant as if downing five bottles of energy drinks which just kicked in, "I got it! Thanks, Princess." He bent over, swiftly planting a kiss on her cheek. It was short and brief, but Marinette was already growing a blush by the time he ran and jumped out the window. But in that moment, she was immediately dragged forward towards the window and as she climbed up onto her balcony, she saw her string being pulled along by a black cat soaring off into the sky with his silver pole.

It was stretching out, but Marinette caught it just in time before other strings began to interfere. Her jaw dropped, and she couldn't move. Tikki flew up, resting herself on Marinette's shoulder, "What's wrong, Marinette?"

"I-It, no way," Marinette stuttered as she saw the superhero disappear behind a building. Her legs wobbled and she slumped onto her knees. She noticed and she realized.

Her string was connected to Chat's.

Meanwhile, on the other side of Paris, a certain villain was plotting out his next attack. The last two most definitely didn't go as planned, and Hawk Moth wanted to make sure that this time would be the last. He closed his eyes, trying to sense any feelings of distress, but somehow in this magical land, those emotions were rare.

"I still cannot understand how no one is feeling upset!" He angrily thumped his cane against the ground, "Why must I be the only one?!" However, the cane pounding caused the window to open and an image came into Hawk Moth's mind. "Let us not waste this opportunity!" He told himself, zooming in on the person, "Alright. So what happened was..."

He stopped his monologue. It was a girl, the exact same girl who he failed to akumatize on his first trial. She was grumbling to herself on how she didn't have enough time to write and please her readers, and the ongoing persuasion to update only caused her stress and tormenting emotions to grow. Her short, choppy black hair fell onto the keyboard as she began to smack her poor computer once again. Hawk Moth couldn't understand; the electronic did absolutely nothing wrong and didn't deserve punishment.

But a chance was a chance.

"Still fighting over your writer's block and demanding pressure? There is no problem, for you will be in control soon enough." Hawk Moth held out a hand, and a trained butterfly landed on his hand without any effort. He _carefully_ cupped the insect, filling it with power. As he raised his right hand, the bright blue butterfly had turned into a dark mix of black and purple. It took flight out of the small entrance in his window, and he slammed his cane into the ground again. "Go and take flight, my little Akuma, and give this author the determination she deserves so she can carry on with her writing!"

The little butterfly flew over Paris, fluttering into the girl's room and possessing a black bracelet dangling from the girl's arm. She sat upright, and the outline of a glowing butterfly traced her face. "Creator, I am Hawk Moth," The villain spoke to the girl with delight, "From now on, you have the power to control whoever you want. No one could ever interfere with your time again. Yet in return, you'll have to do something for me..."

"Which is..?" The Creator slowly replied, her brown eyes illuminating into a bright purple.

"When the time comes, bring me Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculouses!" He squealed, stamping his feet into the ground with excitement like a preschooler. Realizing what he was doing, Hawk Moth immediately stopped and coughed into his fist. Nothing had happened. He refused to believe it.

The girl frowned, "You must be really desperate if you're coming to me for help. I don't deserve a cool name like the Creator; Trash Can would be more applicable."

Hawk Moth just realized that he picked the wrong person to do this job.


	7. Chapter 7 - r

_"i really believe that there is an invisible red thread tied between him and me, and that it has stretched and tangled for years - across oceans and lifetimes. i know that it won't break because our souls are tied." - jennifer elisabeth_

This had to be the worse day of Marinette's life. She had trouble walking down the stairs; her legs wobbling as if she were on stilts. Her mind was still trying to comprehend what she just saw. Trick of the eye, perhaps? The blow to her head was causing more hallucinations? No. Marinette knew. She was only trying to deny it, but she knew. Marinette remained silent; through eating, packing up, not even thinking about saying goodbye to her mother. Her feet went on autopilot and took her to school while she thought about the string.

She had ditched the evening patrol because she was afraid. Afraid of what might happen. Afraid of why it happened.

Tikki popped out of her purse, seeing the mixture of emotions on her owner's face. Marinette's face was a canvas, and her expression was the paint. The blend of emotions grew dull, like a painter does when combining too many colors at once. Tikki knew she couldn't say anything; Marinette was already in a state of distress. The kwami disappeared back into the purse, leaving Marinette to think on her own.

As Marinette finally found the motivation to enter the classroom, she spotted a dreary looking Adrien slouching in his seat. Of course, he had the annoying girl with the worse sense of fashion wrapped around his neck, but he seemed worse than usual. Dark, lifeless, and loss of hope. This wasn't the Adrien she knew.

But it didn't matter to her anymore. Her fate wasn't tied with his, apparently. She smoothly walked by, ignoring the traditional Chloé comments that would often jab her in the side. "Hmph. What's up with her?" The blonde scoffed, tightening her arms around his neck, "Adrien, darling, want to hang out later today? I'll let you take me on a date." Any tighter and the boy would start to suffocate if he weren't already to her potent perfume.

"Are you just going to stand by and watch this?" Alya leaned over, whispering to Marinette as she watched the dark haired girl unpack for class. Her brown curls tumbled over her shoulder as she continued to say, "It's absolutely cringe worthy; I can hardly take it myself."

Marinette shook her head, "Not today, Alya. And probably not ever anymore. It's not worth it."

"Wha-," Her friend gasped in shock and was about to say something when Miss Bustier entered the room, indicating that class was about to begin. Terrible timing, obviously, but teachers manage to mess up the moment anyways with incessant lessons. The two watched as Chloé Bourgeois begrudgingly went back to her seat while managing to continue making lovesick faces at the model.

A pain stabbed Marinette in the heart.

What was this string trying to tell her? That her fate would never connect with Adrien's? She shook her head, trying to focus ahead of her; past Adrien and towards the lesson. This would be a first.

Time seemed to zip by and within moments, the school day was over. Marinette's reality was no longer functional, nor was the time in her reality. She swiftly picked up her bag and scurried down the stairs before Alya could say anything. Doing so, she nearly bumped head first into Adrien Agreste, who just stood up from her seat. "S-Sorry!" Her habitual stutters returned in that moment and she felt her face flush bright red.

He placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a noticeably dry smile, "No worries." Adrien then patted her shoulder and left his seat and left the classroom, probably heading out to another photo shoot. Marinette bit her lip. There definitely was something off about him today, but she couldn't place a pin on it. No, she couldn't have her mind wander again. Marinette rushed out the classroom door, leaving her best friend behind with many questions.

The trip back home was a lonely one. As soon as she opened the doors of the bakery, Marinette rushed up the stairs without a word to her parents and dived head first into her couch.

Her purse clicked open. "Marinette," Tikki said to the girl whose face was deep inside a pillow, "Like I said before: just because the red string is showing you one thing, doesn't mean that you have to follow it. You should be able to decide who you want to be with; not have fate pick it out for you!" She flew over to Marinette's side, trying to get a look at her.

Marinette rolled onto her side, exhaling sharply. Her bangs hung over her eyes like a curtain, and her cheek was still sunken in the cushion. "Tikki, let's face it. Even without the string, I still wouldn't be able to get Adrien's attention. Everything was useless to begin with." She then returned to burying herself into the pillow once more. "He's a smart, kind, athletic, and a model. I'm just-."

"You're _Ladybug_!" Tikki finished her sentence, not allowing Marinette to continue to let herself down, "And you save lives! Even someone like Adrien doesn't deserve someone as great as you."

In actuality, Marinette didn't hate Chat Noir; on the contrary, he was a great partner. He always managed to be there in the perfect moment, even though he tended to overreact and dramatized everything. He was a good friend. But he just wasn't the person Marinette was hoping for.

"And think about it, Marinette!" Tikki exclaimed, waving her tiny arms in the air trying to get Marinette's attention, "We don't even know who Chat Noir's real identity is! Who knows, he might even be-."

"Tikki!" Marinette sat upright, this time with tears in her eyes. The kwami froze, suspended in air. Marinette's bottom lip was quivering. Her fingers shook. She rapidly tried to blink the tears back, but to no avail, they tumbled down her rosy cheeks. "It's impossible. I-I'm so sick of this," Her voice trembled and her shoulders shook. She got up from her couch and slowly walked towards her desk. Tikki watched with wide eyes, not entirely sure of what to do. "I'm sick of being dragged around." Marinette opened a drawer as she spoke.

"Marinette..." Tikki said slowly, "What are you doing?"

Marinette ignored the kwami.

"Sick of Hawk Moth."

She pulled out a small pair of scissors.

"Sick of the Akumas."

She opened them with two fingers.

"S-Sick of Chat Noir."

She placed the blades against the thread.

"Marinette, no!" Tikki tried to fly over quickly as fast as her speed would let her.

Marinette looked up at the kwami, with her blue eyes glistening from her tears.

"I'm sick of this red string!"

The blades closed. And this time, they cut right through.

On the other side of town, a blonde-haired boy was troubled. He slunk in his bed, upturned at his ceiling and thinking to himself. Plagg, not being the wisest kwami in the box, ignorantly bit into a slice of Camembert above Adrien's head. "What's the deal, kid?" The kwami gulped down his food with delight, "You seem a bit weird today."

"That's because of what happened, Plagg," Adrien rolled his eyes, understanding that the kwami's love for cheese was greater than its love for him. "Then again, I guess you can't see the red string. I hope my emotions weren't noticeable; it didn't seem like it."

"Waddya mean?"

Adrien sighed, propping himself up with the backboard of his bed. Plagg fluttered down, and the stench of Camembert wanted the boy to push his kwami away. But he needed someone to talk to. "Remember yesterday? Ladybug didn't show up to patrol when she promised she would," He frowned, "But I'm sure that's not her fault. Maybe something came up, like a secret mission."

"And what does that have to do with the string?"

Adrien rubbed his temple in frustration, "I was going to talk to her about it, remember? And confess my feelings to her..." His words trailed off. Plagg tilted his head, finally starting to get a grasp of the situation. "And earlier this morning, I saw something. Something I definitely didn't want to see."

Plagg's whiskers twitched, "The only thing that could possibly be worse than Ladybug standing you up is if you saw your string connected to Chloé!" The kwami burst out laughing, "That would be hilarious!"

The boy didn't say anything.

Plagg continued to laugh until he noticed that Adrien wasn't saying anything. "Ohhh, oh boy," Plagg said, slowing his chuckles down until it settled in his stomach, alongside the cheese. "You gotta be kidding me."

"Why would I mess around with the string?" Adrien retorted, slightly frustrated. "I saw it around the time Chloe was picking on Marinette. It was only for a minute, but I thought I saw our strings connecting." He blew at his blonde locks which were getting in his eyes while shuddering at the thought that his fate would end up with Chloe. True, they were childhood friends, but that's as far as he ever wanted to go (or maybe a little less).

"Man, you've got bad luck," Plagg nestled himself Adrien's head, as if making a makeshift nest in his hair, "Really bad."

"That's all thanks to you," Adrien scratched Plagg's chin, and the kwami made a purring sound. "But I've made up my mind. Even though the string might be connected to Chloé, it doesn't mean that I can tell My Lady my true feelings for her." He held up his silver ring, "Alright Plagg, let's see if we can find her today-."

He paused.

Plagg looked down, squinting at Adrien's line of sight, "What is it?"

Adrien raised his right pinky, which was freed from the red knot tied around it only moments ago.

"The string is gone."


	8. Chapter 8 - i

_"when you had that really long, stray string on the sleeve of your red hoodie, and you asked me to get it off, i kept it. i tied it on my necklace that i wear every day. sometimes i like to think that you're on the other end of that string." -hl_

Adrien knew something was wrong when he saw the flying bus soar past his window. Before that, however, he was a little busy. His string was gone, and he had no idea how or when it disappeared. Flipping his hand over and over again, he still was unable to find the thread. "I mean, isn't that a good thing?" Plagg chirped, doing miniature backstrokes in the air, "Chloé being your fated partner isn't entirely the best thing in the world."

"Yeah," Adrien said, twisting his hand around as if it would bring the thread back, "But the string is supposed to constantly be there. And unbreakable. Why is it gone?" A sinking feeling yanked in his chest. It was heavy and weighted, dragging him down into what seemed like an eternal abyss.

"Maybe you're cured," The kwami said, floating over to his small cheese tray to grab a slice of Camembert, "That's good. Romance isn't as yummy as cheese."

The poor boy was absolutely lost. True, he didn't want to end up with Chloé, but with a missing string, does that mean he will never end up with anyone? A certain dark haired girl came into play, and his shoulders slouched. It was an impossible thought anyways; to end up with Ladybug. Adrien was still staring at his hand when a flash of yellow flew past. His head swiftly turned around, seeing giant bus fly past. "What in the world..?"

A loud crash thudded by the mansion, and the model immediately jumped out of his bed. Right after dropping a slice of cheese down his throat, Plagg was immediately caught by Adrien and shoved under his white shirt. "This is abuse!" He yelped, "I refuse to leave my food behind!"

"Calm down, Plagg. Let's take a quick walk around town without the Gorilla or Nathalie noticing; hopefully we'll figure it out," Adrien whispered, grabbing his nearby bag and slinging it over his shoulder. Quietly pushing the door of his room open, he popped his head out to see if anyone was watching. No one was there, suspiciously. Not even Nathalie, who was constantly by his side.

Unlike his father.

His eyes locked onto the painting of his mother who stood tall and pure, with her emerald eyes shining as if hiding a secret. He shook his head; time to figure out what was going on. Adrien tiptoed quietly down the marble stairs, making sure to keep his guard up. His steps echoed, and he froze each time. Nothing happened. Having nothing to lose, Adrien made a mad dash out the doors of his house and past the gates. Looking around anxiously, he tried to find the source of the flying bus.

But there was none.

There was no yellow flying bus. No yelling Akumatized person floating in the air and wanting the Miraculous. In fact, people were walking without a care in the world down the streets of Paris. All with red threads on their fingers.

"Huh... That's strange," Adrien said, cautiously pacing down the street, "I can still see everyone's string. Why not mine?"

Plagg popped out of his shirt, with his round head dangling like a bobble-head figure, "And you're not going to worry about the bus?" Adrien shoved the kwami back under his shirt. He decided to remain outside; not like he was going to have a sad longing to do a photo shoot. "Why stick around?" Plagg lulled, "Nothing seems wrong. I say we go home so we can eat and relax. Sound like a plan?"

"Plagg-," Adrien was just about to complain about the ridiculous kwami's obsession when a blur of red zoomed by. He looked up only to find the girl of his dreams flying through the air. Her pigtails ruffled as she swung away on her yo-yo, only to disappear behind the school. "I can't transform here; there are too many people. I'll follow after her though; hopefully I'll be able to help out some way." His feet automatically took him to the school, which was only a few blocks away to his luck. He scrambled up the stairs, his heart racing with exhilaration. Pushing the doors open, he found Ladybug standing in the middle of the gym.

"No, I could've sworn I saw it here..." She murmured to herself, "Was I imagining things?"

Adrien wanted to say something, but the words couldn't come out. She was right in front of him, all poised and confident while slightly leaning on her right leg. He couldn't function properly when she was around, sort of like a compass being pulled by a nearby magnet. "U-Uh," He stuttered, unable to string his words together. Ladybug managed to hear this and turned around only to be caught by surprise.

"H-Hello!" She stuttered back, awkwardly waving her hand and immediately placing it behind her back. "Adrien, was it? What brings you here on a weekend? I-It would undoubtedly suck if school you had-, I mean, you had school."

"I s-saw you here," Adrien nearly slapped himself in the face. _Regain composure; you're an Agreste!_ He told himself. "And I was wondering if you needing any help..." He looked at her and instantly noticed that something was wrong.

Her eyes were tinged with red.

The only possibly way for her eyes to be so bloodshot is if she was crying... No, that couldn't be it. She was the all positive, cool headed and sophisticated Ladybug; there's no way a girl as elegant as her would cry. He took a step forward, and almost synchronized, she backed away. "Ah," She noticed what she did, "I'm sorry. No, I'm sure I'll be fine." She held up her hands. And Adrien froze.

She had no string.

It was there the last time they met, he could've sworn it. After all, she did try to show it to him. What did this mean? Did Ladybug also have no fate, since she didn't have a thread? Or was it actually that the string on his finger was actually connected to hers, and not Chloé's..? A sense of weight was lifted off his shoulders, and a sigh escaped his lips. What a sense of freedom it was to not worry about it anymore!

But then another thought sneaked in. If both of their strings were gone, what does that mean for them? That they will never end up with each other? He pushed the thought aside; no need to worry about that for now. "Are you sure? Because it seems as if you need someone to talk to," Adrien attempted to give Ladybug the most consoling smile he possibly could.

Ladybug looked around anxiously, making sure that no one was around, "I-I don't think I can talk to you about it."

Adrien gestured towards the green bench, "I'm sure I know a lot more than you think. Besides doing model shoots, being a straight A student tends to help," He tried to toss a bit of humor to lift her up. Ladybug gave a light laugh which tickled his heart.

"Alright, hear me out then," She made her way towards the bench and sat herself down. Adrien did as well, although his fists were clenched on his knees and they were extremely sweaty. He didn't have his cool demeanor like he usually does with Chat Noir, so Adrien felt as if he was in a bit of a tight spot.

"So what seems to be the trouble?"

Ladybug opened her mouth, but no words came out. She tilted her head, as if she was trying to figure out how to explain it. Adrien held back a chuckle; she was too adorable for him to handle. He could feel a blush growing on his face and looked down at his lap so she couldn't see. "It was around the time your principal was Akumatized," She began, "I got hit pretty bad and began seeing things. Especially this thing called a "red string". Have you heard of it?"

He nodded.

"Anyways, I recently figured out to where it led..." Her voice caught. She coughed, "Sorry. I figured out to where it led..." She tried to say it again, but Ladybug couldn't finish the sentence. Her blue eyes began to fill up with tears, and Adrien was afraid. He didn't entirely know how to comfort a crying superhero, but he was going to have to do his best.

"Led to where?" He asked calmly, placing a hand on her shoulder for support.

"T-To someone. Someone I didn't entirely want to be with," She choked up, the tears falling from her face and painting over her cheeks like watercolor so. "He was a good friend, a loyal partner, but just wasn't who I was expecting."

"There's nothing wrong with that," Adrien said, not finding anything wrong. "It's not your fault that the string ended up that way."

She shook her head, "That's not it." Ladybug looked up at Adrien, and he saw the fear and sadness hanging in her gaze, "I cut the string, Adrien. I _cut it._ "

 _Cut._

It all made sense. Actually, it didn't. The string was to be indestructible; at most not possible to cut through.

"I didn't think the string would actually cut," She buried her face in her hands, "It didn't the last time I tried, so I was sure it wasn't going to happen again. It was absolutely selfish of me to even think about doing so." Her voice broke into sobs.

Then she cried.

And he held her.


	9. Chapter 9 - n

_"_ 姻缘红线 _. (yīnyuán hóngxiàn). also referred as the red string of marriage." - wikipedia_

Chat Noir sprawled on the roof while gaining a ray of confusion. His thread was gone; Ladybug's thread was gone. Was it possible for him to think was he was thinking?

He remembered when Ladybug pushed him aside, saying that she had to find an Akuma before it was too late and ran away, tear stricken. His heart ached because he saw his Lady in pain. She was fragile and weak in his arms; easy to crumple like a sheet of paper. A weak side he's never seen before. But what could he have done in that moment? It wasn't possible for him to bring back the red string... Right?

Chat raised left pinky towards the sky, which was void of a red string. Ladybug said that she cut the string because it was someone she didn't want. " _A good friend, a loyal partner,"_ she had said, " _but just wasn't who she was expecting."_ And now she had lost her string as well. Chat knew. He very well knew. He simply didn't want to accept it.

He didn't want to accept the fact that Ladybug didn't want him.

His chest tightened, and a sob swelled up in his throat.

It was impossible to cut the string, so the legend had said, and yet she managed to do it anyways. Was their relationship so frail that even an ancient legend could be broken? These questions kept stabbing him in the back of his mind. His false hopes of even the slightest chance with Ladybug disintegrated. He swallowed down his sob, trying to hold it back. It shook in his chest, aching to be let out. The sob pounded at his rib cage with its fists, begging to be released. He wanted to cry, oh, how he desperately wanted to. But he was out on a mission: to take down the Akuma, wherever it was.

Chat Noir was confident. He was proud, sarcastic, and flirty. Poised, a bit clumsy, but nevertheless determined to earn his Lady's affection.

His confidence started to crumble. His proud, poised, sarcastic self began to fall away to the ground. The feelings of rejection now seep into his system. Yet before the first tear could trickle down his cheek, the loud sound of an explosion reverberated from across the city of Paris. Chat blinked away, hoping the tears would disappear before heading into the battle. His claws tightened around his baton, and he took off into the clearly sky of Paris.

The smell of smoke filled the air. Chat Noir coughed as it filled his lungs while he launched towards the scene. He covered his face with his arm, careful not to inhale more. As soon as his two feet landed onto the ground, the smoke dissipated, revealing the Champs-Élysées. Not a thing was broken, on fire, or disintegrated. Chat slowly removed his arm away from his face, and carefully took a breath of air.

Nothing was wrong.

He scratched the back of his head, obviously embraced in confusion. "There is no way I could've imagined that..." Chat muttered under his breath while taking a hesitant step forward.

A blur of red and black landed by his side, and Ladybug's yo-yo returned to her hand. He blinked, realizing that she just arrived onto the scene. "What happened, Chat Noir?" She asked, refusing to make eye contact with the leather-clad superhero. "Did you already finish the job?"

He stared at her for a while. The corners of her eyes were still red. "No, My L-, Ladybug," He stopped himself. She wasn't _his_ lady; she didn't want to be. He picked up his pole and gestured at their surroundings with it, "Everything disappeared as soon as I got here. Strange, isn't it?"

"Oh?" The girl turned to him, "No puns or jokes today?"

"What?" Chat crossed his arms to try and act casual, "Do you think I need a _purr-_ amedic? No puns would be a _cat-_ astrophe!"

"I instantly regret asking that question," Ladybug sighed, leaning her head into her hand. Before the thought of asking Ladybug about her string crossed his mind, another loud _BOOM_ shook the ground. She held up a red index finger, "The Eiffel Tower! Let's hurry, Chat Noir!" Ladybug wound up her yo-yo and tossed it as far as possible. Within seconds she was already flying through the sky.

His eyes followed her, watching as the distance between the two grew. A question he regretted thinking of slipped into his mind: _why was she the one crying?_ If she didn't like him to begin with, why should she be the one to cry over the broken string? It should've been him; he should be the one to cry. He should be the one being held. Chat had already lost someone important to him, and now the love of his life literally cut off the ties in their relationship.

He ran his claws through his hair, immediately patronizing himself after that thought. He shouldn't be selfish. Right now, there were lives that needed to be saved. His silver pole extended, and Chat began to launch into the air once again, leaving any negative thoughts and ideas behind.

"There!" Ladybug shouted, "The Akuma should be there!" She tossed her yo-yo into the smoke. Chat Noir swung his baton blindly; the baton unable to hit its mark. There was a loud, metal clang; probably from him hitting the side of the Eiffel Tower. Once again like before, the smoke began to disappear as soon as the two arrived, although it seemed to take some sort of route this time. After the smoke had billowed out around the two superheroes and revealing the tall monument, it accumulated and compressed into a small orb.

"What in the world..?" Chat mumbled as the small, smoke ball took off.

"We've got to follow it!" Ladybug swung away, chasing down the orb like a game of cat and mouse.

Chat heaved a heavy sigh that was stuck in his chest for a while. He didn't know how much longer he could stay by Ladybug's side before his accumulating feelings would go into overdrive. He leaped onto the roof of a building and ran on all fours, like an animal. "Where to, Ladybug?" He asked as Ladybug zoomed by him.

"We're going to hope that this strange object is going to lead us to the Akuma," She explained; her dark bangs whipped into her vision due to the wind. "Once we find the Akuma, we destroy the item and purify the butterfly. Solid plan?"

"Sounds _purr_ -fect," He winked, causing the spotted girl to roll her blue eyes.

 _She didn't even notice that he stopped calling her "My Lady"._

They stopped, staying perched on top of someone's balcony. The two watched as they saw the orb enter through an open window. "Delete, delete, delete," They heard someone say, "Explosions are to cliché, aren't they? What do you think?" Sounded female and young; at most someone around their age.

"The Akuma?" Chat whispered, and Ladybug held her finger up to her lips, telling him to be quiet.

"Yes, I know I'm supposed to get their Miraculouses. But do you know how cool it is to have a superpower-, wait, never mind."

Chat tilted his head, "This one sounds a little different than the rest."

"Nevertheless, we must capture it," Ladybug began to swing her yo-yo once more. Chat grabbed her arm and she froze.

"What are you thinking? We can't just enter someone's house unsolicited."

She brushed him off with her hand as if he was dirt. "Would you rather we barge in unintended, or have the lives of Paris be at stake?" Without waiting for an answer, Ladybug jumped off the roof and landed on both feet in the room. Knowing that there was no possible way of convincing her, Chat himself followed her through the window.

The two held their signature poses with their weapons on front of them. "Give up, Akuma!" Ladybug yelled, "Hawk Moth, we will not allow you to harm any more people!"

A black chair was in their view, with the two unable to see who was sitting in it. Loud, typing sounds came from the chair, and the female voice spoke again. "Hm, seems that my computer's facing a bug. No matter; I'll simply have to clean up the virus." As soon as she uttered those words, a large broom appeared behind the two superheroes and began to sweep with clouds of dust fogging up their vision.

"Chat!" Ladybug shouted, and Chat Noir swung his baton like a baseball bat. The broom broke into pieces and fell back towards the chair.

"Who are you?" He demanded, pointing his baton toward the chair.

"Who am I?" The girl said, "I should be asking you that. You two came in without permission." She swirled around, and Chat Noir was expecting someone in another ridiculous costume that most Akumatized people wore. Surprisingly, her outfit was a lot more relaxed; she wore polar bear pajama bottoms and a red Lion King sweater. Draped over her shoulders was a fuzzy Scooby Doo blanket. Her hair was black, short and cropped. The only thing strange about her was the mask she wore; it was one of those strange theater masks with a line down the middle; one half with a smile and the other with a frown.

"Do you recognize her?" Ladybug asked, and Chat shook his head no.

A purple outline of a butterfly appeared in front of her face, and she rubbed a black rubber bracelet between two of her fingers anxiously. "Yes... Yes..." She swiveled back around, typing a few things into what Chat Noir assumed to be a computer. Suddenly, something that looked like the shadow of Stone Heart appeared out of midair. The creature roared, and Chat immediately covered up his ears.

"Whenever she writes something, her words are brought to life!" Ladybug exclaimed while somersaulting aside as the shadow Stone Heart made a fist-sized punch through the ground.

"Ah, an author, is she?" Chat blocked one of the Stone Heart's attacks with his pole.

"Wait," The girl said. The monster paused in its tracks; Ladybug and Chat stopped in confusion. "Delete," She said, clicking a button on her keyboard. Stone Heart transformed into an orb like the smoke previously did and went into the computers, disappearing as if it never existed. The hole in the floor was also gone. "Stone Heart is one of the lamer Akumas," She swiveled around in her seat with her feet in the air, as if she was on a roller coaster. "Let's see if I can remember a better one."

"The Akuma must be in her computer," Ladybug murmured, "We've got to find a way to get break it before she can get another word in." She threw her yo-yo at the girl, only to have her jump up and kick it away.

"Wow, I'm ten times more athletic than I'll ever be," She flipped over her hands like she was examining herself. "Thanks, Hawk Moth." The butterfly outline appeared again, and she winced as if she was in pain. "Alright, alright. I got it. No need to yell; someone needs to take anger management classes."

"Let me ask you again; who are you?" Chat Noir demanded while holding out his baton again. "And why are you doing this?"

The girl stopped her exaggerated movements. Her head drooped like a dying flower. "Why am I doing this..?" She asked, almost directing the question to herself. The smiling half of the mask crumbled into small, plaster pieces into her lap revealing a purple iris. The edges of her eye were veined with red, like Ladybug's earlier. "I didn't want to do this," She answered herself. "I didn't ask for pressure. I didn't ask for insults. I didn't ask for hate," The girl leaned back in her seat. "But I got it anyways."

Ladybug tapped her foot impatiently. "What are you saying?"

She looked up, anger seeping into her veins. Her face flushed with rage. "People are greedy," She said, pointing at the monitor, "People are rude, insensitive, and only think for themselves without knowing that the person on the other side is a human being too." She then moved her finger towards the clock hanging on the wall, "I write in my own, free time. I do as a hobby and in the pleasure of knowing that someone out there is enjoying something that _I_ wrote. All I wanted was to simply post at my own time and pace." The girl pounded her fist against her chair, "But when people began telling me that _I_ am the one being selfish, that _I_ am the one who is biased, and that _I_ am the one that is, what did they call me again, _butthurt_ , the emotions piled."

Her voice cracked.

"Then came the stress. I wasn't being paid to write; I was doing it out of my free will. Yet these people expected me to do the impossible; write Romeo and Juliet out of thin air in under a minute." The girl began to pop her knuckles, "I am the Cliffhanger. Alternatively known as Trash Can, although Hawk Moth wouldn't let that one slide. And I am here to get revenge on those who discarded my emotions."

 _Discarded emotions_.

Those words resonated inside Chat Noir, and he knew he didn't want them to. Ladybug threw him and didn't care for his end of the string. His emotions were left out of the idea.

"Chat, focus!" Ladybug's voice rang through his ears. He slapped the side of his face to return back to reality.

"Once I get your Miraculouses, Hawk Moth will help me extract my revenge on each and everyone one of them!" The short haired girl stood up from her seat, ready to protect the device in which she could write on.

"And may I ask how exactly will you do that?" Ladybug questioned, swinging her yo-yo in preparation.

The girl laughed maniacally, "As my name states, I'll be holding you over the edge of a cliffhanger!"


	10. Chapter 10 - g

_"i'm going to follow this invisible red thread until i find myself again... until i finally figure out... who i'm meant to be." - jennifer elisabeth_

Ladybug knew something was wrong with her partner when he stopped calling her "My Lady". It was easy to spot out, almost like a splatter of color on a black canvas. He'd call her that every time they were together. She simply pretended to not acknowledge it; there was a job more important to focus on. Besides, even if she did bring it up, she knew that he would somehow tease her for noticing. She began to feel a light throb of pain in her chest as the slipped into the Cliffhanger's house. Why? It's not as if she had physically hurt herself.

When the Cliffhanger began explaining why she became Akuma-tized, she said a sentence that almost caused Ladybug to burst into tears on the spot. " _People are rude, insensitive, and only think for themselves without knowing that the person on the other side is a human being too._ " Ladybug's heart nearly stopped. It was almost as if that sad, black haired girl was speaking directly to her. Those words impaled her mind like a javelin, echoing and telling her that it was her harming the person on the other end of the string.

"Get to the computer at all costs!" Ladybug swung her yo-yo at the electronic device. The Cliffhanger immediately swirled around in her seat and typed in a couple words. Instantly, a rectangular jail cell encompassed the heroine, lock included. "Goodness, this author is detailed with her work..." She muttered under her breath while kicking at the bars in futile.

"You'll have to do better than that," The masked girl sang lightly, "I was top in my class for most words typed in under a minute."

Ladybug ground her teeth together, trying to figure out a way to get out of the situation she was entrapped in. Chat Noir flung his baton, and it spun back like a boomerang while nearing the computer. The Cliffhanger muttered a few words under her breath in frustration and leaped out of the chair, kicking it out of the way. The baton clattered onto the ground.

 _Is it too soon for me to use my Lucky Charm?_ Ladybug thought to herself while reaching towards the lock. She realized that it wasn't a lock that required a key; it consisted of four dialing numbers. Realizing that this could be a possible escape route, she looked around the room if she could find anything that stuck out. Chat picked up his baton and extending it fully. He swung it at the Cliffhanger without any hesitation, and within a few moments, a shield with the Triforce popped out of nowhere into the girl's hand and she blocked the blow. Using the shield as a perfect use of lift-off, Chat launched himself over the Cliffhanger's head like a pole vaulter.

"Cataclysm!" He shouted, and his right claw flared with black. As soon as his hand made contact with the computer, the electronic crumbled into dust. Much to his dismay, no Akuma fluttered out of the rubbish.

The Cliffhanger jumped out of her chair, keeping herself a safe distance away and whipped out her phone. "Hawk Moth, there's more than one way of writing things down," She rolled her eyes; an action she tended to do quite a bit, "We authors have to carry something around when we get an idea." She stopped talking for a while, "Well why don't you come out and get them yourselves! Goodness, you're just as lazy as I am-."

"The phone! Try to get the phone!" Ladybug shouted as she continued to fumble with the lock. Chat Noir nodded, although anxiously looking down at his ring which began the dreaded countdown. He held out his baton again and began using swinging it like a baseball bat; the Cliffhanger attempting to block off his attacks with her new shield. Ladybug's eyes continued to wander around the room, and suddenly a list taped on the wall caught her attention. Written down were a list of dates, but only one was highlighted in green.

 _Red String,_ it said, _chapter one published: January 11th._

"Hm," She murmured and began to twist the numbers on the lock. "Zero, one, one, one."

The lock popped open.

"Yes!" She squealed and kicked the door open. Ladybug jumped out of the jail cell and began spinning her yo-yo around. She threw it at the Akuma-tized writer. Before the Cliffhanger could unlock her phone because the device couldn't detect her own fingerprint (it didn't deserve to be called a "smartphone"), Ladybug got a hold of it and yanked it to her. She threw it onto the ground, and it smashed into pieces. No Akuma.

"You two owe me so much money right now," The Cliffhanger whined, "Now I've got to find a piece of paper and pencil; nobody uses those anymore! They're just as old as cavemen!"

"Oh no, you don't," Ladybug threatened, "Lucky Charm!" She tossed her yo-yo into the air. What fell from her special move was a small pair of ladybug scissors. "These are tiny!" She said, pushing the blades to a closed position, "What am I supposed to do with this?"

"Not entirely sure," Chat held his weapon close to his chest as a stance of defense, "But one thing's for certain, she sure knows how to write _litter-_ ature." Before Ladybug could groan at his terrible puns, she noticed something. The Cliffhanger, who was trying to find a pencil that's lead wasn't already broken, was rubbing a black, rubber bracelet hanging on her left arm with her index finger and thumb.

 _She was fidgeting with it when we first met her as well..._ Ladybug opened the scissors, well knowing what she had to do.

"Ah, a pencil!" The Cliffhanger rummaged through the drawer of a nearby desk, "Its eraser sucks, though. Woah-!" She yelped as Ladybug's endless yo-yo wrapped around her body and pulled her over to the superhero.

"Hold it," Ladybug gave Chat Noir the end of the yo-yo and began to place the scissors against the bracelet.

"No!" The girl yelled, struggling against the bonds, "Please don't cut it! It's the only thing I have left of her!"

Ladybug squinted at the begging girl, "Of who?"

"My friend..." The Cliffhanger whispered, tears streaking from the single eye they could see, "The one who motivated me to write. She was the one who taught me everything; she gave me confidence and assurance. This is the only thing left that ties us together."

The pain grew.

Ladybug was instantly reminded of the red string; her head hurt as she recalled cutting the thread with her own scissors. "I... I can't do it," She switched the scissors with the yo-yo Chat was holding, "You cut it. I can't."

"What?" Chat Noir asked while she pushed him over to the crying author, "But I don't-."

"Just cut it and it'll be over!" Ladybug shouted. The two stopped their actions, surprised with the superhero's sudden outburst. "It'll be over..." She repeated, her voice dropping into a mumble that was barely audible. Without questioning anything, Chat placed the bracelet in between the blades and severed the rubber.

The Cliffhanger's shoulders shook as the remains of the bracelet fell onto the ground, and a purple butterfly finally emerged.

"You've done enough harm, little Akuma," Ladybug swiped her finger across her yo-yo, and it opened to reveal a white, glowing light. She wound it up, whirling it by her side, "I'm freeing you from evil!" Throwing the yo-yo, the contraption caught the butterfly and closed. "Gotcha," She said, and tapped the yo-yo, releasing a white, pure butterfly from the trap. "Bye bye, little butterfly." Chat Noir handed her the scissors, and she stared at it in the palm of her hand for a quick moment before throwing into the air and repeating her popular catchphrase. "Miraculous Ladybug!"

The stream of butterflies burst against the ceiling, restoring everything in the room to its proper form. The computer was completely fixed and stood upright back on the desk. The rubber bracelet was mended again, ready to be worn.

"Good job," She held up a fist for a job well done, but Chat didn't reciprocate. He simply climbed onto the windowsill and bounded off. Ladybug saw that he sat on the roof across, possibly waiting for her. She bent over, picking up the bracelet and crouched to the girl who was sitting on the ground, obviously confused about what was going on. Her outfit remained the same; the only thing that disappeared was the other half of the mask.

"Ladybug?" She asked, wide-eyed and shocked, "What are you doing in my room?"

Ladybug gestured for the girl to hold out her arm, in which she did. She placed the bracelet back on the girl's wrist, "I believe this belongs to you."

"Thanks," The short haired girl smiled, rubbing the bracelet again, "I wouldn't know where I'd be without it. One thing's for sure: I most definitely wouldn't have written Red String."

Meanwhile, on the other side of Paris, an extremely frustrated villain was about to explode. He chucked his cane across the room, causing many butterflies to flutter around in a panic. The soles of his shoes were being stomped into the ground so many times, they were beginning to form an imprint in the floor. "This one was by far the worst Akuma out of all my trials!" He roared, upset that he didn't have a table set up in his hideout to flip. "She didn't even get _close_ to the Miraculous!" One more stomp. The floor creaked. "I've learned to never grow desperate ever again."

He took a breath, calming himself. There were going to be other chances; he was sure of it.

Hawk Moth snarled as his window drew to a close, "Remember this, Ladybug, it will soon be me hanging you on the edge!" As soon as the dramatic exit closed, he covered his mouth with his elbow and coughed; the constant yelling he did really took its toll. He then escaped from the herd of butterflies, finding and placing his gloved hands against the wall, and shuffling awkwardly in the darkness as of being unable to see a thing.

"My Lady-," Chat Noir reached out a hand but instantly drew it back. The two were perched on the roof together, and one red-clad superhero was most definitely ready to take her leave.

"Yes, Chat Noir?"

"A certain Princess told me to be myself around you..." He scratched the back of his neck. Ladybug raised an eyebrow, remembering the talk they had earlier in her room; he would've never realized that she was on the other end of that conversation. "Ah, but don't be getting jealous," Chat flew back to his original demeanor and gave a seductive wink while clicking his tongue, in which Ladybug simply rolled her eyes. "I may call her Princess, but My Lady will always be in my heart."

"Or will be heading home," Ladybug stopped his steady stream of flirts by twirling up her yo-yo; ready to take off into Paris' night sky.

"Please wait!" Chat grabbed her arm. His voice cracked, and Ladybug caught it. She turned around, and to her surprise, found a cat with puppy eyes. "I... I really need to talk to you. Last time you didn't even show up to our evening patrol."

The pain grew more.

"Better hurry it up," She pointed at the countdown on her earrings; only two minutes left. She moved her index finger to his ring; one minute left. Block out the emotions, Ladybug.

Chat shuffled his feet before finishing his thought. "My Lady, I was able to see the red string too," He said, not removing his strong eye contact away from hers, "I saw it. No joke."

Time froze.

Ladybug just wanted to let the topic go. She was afraid. Afraid that he knew. She knew he most definitely knew. However, she tried to deny it.

"String? Did you get lucky and figure out who you ended up with?" She gave a fake chuckle by covering her mouth with her gloved hand. "Probably with a ball of yarn in the craft store."

Chat Noir refused to add onto her jokes. "No, I knew who was on that end," He looked at the ground while shuffling his feet. "She was everything I ever wanted. She made me feel content with myself. I enjoyed being by her side. I admired her confidence; how she could hold her head up high even when people try to tear her down. I marveled her strength and self-assurance. And I _loved_ the way she smiled; it made me feel warm inside and out."

"Chat-."

"And I knew she didn't want me. She even told me that herself."

Something went off in Ladybug's head. "Wait a minute, I never told you anything-." She stopped her words. She had just validated that she didn't want him. "No, Chat, I mean..." Ladybug closed her mouth. There was nothing she could take back now. She hung her head while instantly shaming herself.

The laughter coming from Chat Noir sounded dead as if it were hanging itself from the edges of his lips. "And since she cut the string herself, I can no longer remain with her." The grip on her arm slipped. He released her, with his own arm dangling lifelessly by his side. "See?" He gave a half-hearted smile, "I knew." The pain in her chest swelled. She saw his green eyes water over. "I know I can't do anything to fix it, but just allow me to be myself around you right now, okay?"

"Chat Noir, you're already doing that," Ladybug said, "And how did-."

"No," He interrupted her while holding the hand that held his Miraculous, "I'm about to." Before she could add a final word in, the final print on his timer disappeared and a flash of neon green blinded Ladybug's sight. She closed her eyes; not wanting to be blinded. The moment lasted only a few seconds, but Ladybug kept her eyes closed. She understood what just happened, and she didn't want to see any of it. "My Lady," A soft voice came from in front of her, "Please open your eyes."

"No."

"Why?"

"Because we aren't supposed to know each other's identities. I won't ruin that relationship."

"But you already did."

The pain in her chest burst. The agony flooded her veins, and it coursed and pulsed through her body. Her lungs lost the capacity to hold oxygen. Her legs felt weak; she wanted to collapse. Even though her eyes were closed, she could feel the sting of tears behind her eyelids. How she wished she could turn back time and stop herself from cutting that string. How she hated herself because of her selfish actions and the pain she inflicted onto Chat Noir. The regret felt worse than any physical pain that could be inflicted upon her in any Akuma fight.

Ladybug knew he wasn't going to move from that spot, and there was no possible way she could leave without being able to see anything. She cracked her eyes open, just a bit. Everything was a blur; not enough to make anything out clearly. She widened her eyes and instantly regretted it.

Standing right in front of her on the rooftops of Paris was the face of a person she least expected, and of the one she most definitely didn't want to see: Adrien Agreste.


	11. Chapter 11 -

_"happily ever after, or even just together ever after, is not cheesy," wren said. "it's the noblest, like, the most courageous thing two people can shoot for." - rainbow rowell_

There was so much tension in the air. Ladybug stood there, absolutely frozen and stiff as a board. Adrien uncomfortably shifted under her gaze, wondering what could've been possibly going through the red superhero's mind. It wouldn't be surprising if Ladybug's mentality crumbled away on the spot; who wouldn't be shocked if their crush was their partner? And the fact that she cut the string that connected herself to Adrien... Oh, how Ladybug immediately detested herself in that moment.

"Y-You..." She stuttered, still in absolute disbelief. "I can't believe it."

It was him. Adrien Agreste, in the flesh, standing in front of her.

"I won't apologize to you for revealing myself if that's what you mean," Adrien scratched the back of his head as his face flushed to a light red. "I just wanted you to know who I was; string or no string." He held a hand out to her, and she instantly took a step back in response.

Any hope left in him seemed to have dissipated in that moment.

Silence fell over the two before a black being spiraled out of Adrien's silver ring and sprawled onto his shoulder. "Adrien..." The small, cat-like creature moaned as it deflated like a balloon. "I need some Camembert. Stat-, wait a minute!" Its green eyes shot to like and it immediately sat upright. "What did you-, how... Adrien!" The kwami patronized. "Why did you do that?!"

He looked up at the girl, whose eyes were widening in surprise. "So I can be my true self around her," Adrien said, still unable to give up and stared right into Ladybug's eyes.

Her grip tightened on her yo-yo. Her pulse quickened. Her heart pounded against her rib cage, wanting to be let out and to jump right out of her chest. "But that's not what I meant-!" She covered her mouth with her hands a second too late. Adrien already caught her words.

"What _you_ meant?" He squinted. "What does that mean?"

Ladybug refused to say anything. Another beep was emitted from her earrings; one minute left. Without a moment to lose, she wrapped her arm around the boy's waist, threw her yo-yo as far as she could, and jumped off the roof. She couldn't possibly just leave this there. Adrien clung to her shoulder like a leech, and Plagg barely managed to keep a grip on Adrien's shirt. He stared up at her, only to find that her eyes were glazed over as if something was clouding her thoughts. She seemed lost; unable to comprehend the scene she had just witnessed. He couldn't blame her; revealing himself to her just added to the list of problems she already had. He had the slightest tang of guilt.

She, on the other hand, was still trying to process the scene that unfolded before her. Adrien was Chat Noir. Chat Noir was Adrien. The two were the same person. Why didn't it seem that way? And how did she never see it before?

Within moments, they were soon in front of the Agreste Mansion. She let him down carefully; hanging from the yo-yo like Spider-Man. However, Adrien didn't want to let her go. He did eventually, but he didn't want to. "H-Here's your stop..." Her stammering decreased to a mumble as Adrien's feet touched the ground. "I have to go... The transformation is about to end."

Adrien immediately grabbed her arm and she paralyzed at the touch. Waves of electricity coursed through her veins from his fingertips. "You know," He said. "Remember that day where we defeated Stone Heart? I swore that whoever was under that mask..." He carefully reached a hand out and gently cupped her cheek. His hand felt cool against her burning face. "I'd love her."

Tears sprung back into Ladybug's eyes. Why couldn't she have viewed Chat Noir in the same way he saw her? She opened her mouth to say something, but immediately changed her mind and closed it. Instead, she leaned forward and placed the most delicate kiss on Adrien's forehead. The grip on her arm was released, and she took the chance to pull away from him. Launching herself into the air, Ladybug disappeared behind the Agreste Mansion as if the distance between the two would solve her problems. A bright, pink light flashed into the sky, and Adrien suddenly realized that her transformation ended.

"You're not going after her to see who she is?" Plagg chirped while resting himself on Adrien's shoulder. "Now's a good chance to finally learn her identity!" Plagg's words lulled him, trying to pull him over, but Adrien gave a light chuckle while shaking his head.

"No... Not yet, Plagg," He pet the kwami's head with his index finger as his other hand rested on his forehead, where Ladybug had kissed him.

"Why not?"

Adrien gave Plagg a smile, and the kwami's saw a spark of hope reappear in the boy's eyes.

"Because I think I have an idea on who's behind that spotted mask."

Marinette was an absolute mess. She was curled up on her bed, hugging her knees to her chest and burying her face into her knees in the process. Tikki rested on the crying girl's arm. "Marinette?" The kwami's asked, "Want to talk about it?"

She shook her head yes; rubbing her eyes against the back of her hand. Marinette peeked up, with her blue bloodshot once again. "I think I've cried too much this week, Tikki," She said. "I might be all out of tears soon."

Marinette remembered the time she met Chat; she fell onto him and they dangled upside down by her yo-yo. That was Adrien. She remembered the time where Chat protected her from the Timebreaker, risking his life for her. That was Adrien. She remembered the time when Dark Cupid shot Chat and the only way to break the spell was with a kiss... That was Adrien.

Everything the two had gone through had flooded through her, reminding her of their best and worst times.

She pulled her knees to her as close as possible. "Even if he did know I was Ladybug, he probably wouldn't see me in the same light he sees Ladybug. She's strong, confident, and-."

" _You're_ Ladybug," Tikki reminded her, "You have all of those traits because _you_ are that superhero. You don't need to have a magical yo-yo or a mask to have those traits."

"But Tikki," Marinette held a hand out to the kwami, in which it sat in the palm of her hand. "What if he was expecting someone else? Someone... Who isn't me?"

The red creature laughed into its hands. "I'm sure he'll be delighted it's you, Marinette!" Tikki exclaimed, "Think about it! You can sew, draw, manage your grades and save Paris; what sort of guy wouldn't want a girl like that?"

"It was just so shocking, you know?" Marinette cracked a small smile, and the kwami was instantly relieved that she was feeling better. "I didn't expect that to happen; especially him being Chat Noir."

"Your crush, fighting by your side and kicking butt; your dreams have come true after all!" Tikki hugged Marinette's cheek, absolutely delighted that her old friend was back.

A rap on the window nearly broke the light-hearted atmosphere, and the small kwami looked for shelter by darting under Marinette's pillow. The pigtailed girl cautiously got off her bed and headed towards the window; pulling it slowly ajar. A pair of bright green eyes peeked from around the corner, catching the girl off guard. "Princess?" Chat Noir called, "May I come in?"

Marinette's heart jumped onto a treadmill and began running as fast as it could. She knew it was Adrien behind the mask now, but he didn't know she was Ladybug. She was afraid of what she could possibly say; it could ruin the friendship that the two had between each other. Was she even ready to reveal herself to him? And then a sudden realization hit her.

 _THE PICTURES, THE PICTURES, THE PICTURES_! Her mind screamed. In the corner of her eye, she saw Tikki peek out from under the pillow, and she held her hands behind her back so Chat Noir couldn't see while gesturing wildly at the images of Adrien Agreste. The little, red kwami took off as fast a rocket; doing her best to take them down without the superhero noticing.

"Chat Noir! Uh, y-yeah!" She said, mentally slapping herself while reminding herself not to stutter. The black cat slunk in and landed on his feet with his hands on his hips.

"Ah, not much as changed since I was gone."

"You've been gone for two days, Chat."

"Is that so?"

Marinette unconsciously rolled her eyes, temporarily forgetting that Chat Noir and Adrien were the same person. The gears in her head clicked again, and the palms of her hands began sweating. _I wonder why he acts differently when he's Chat Noir..._ She thought to herself as she gestured the superhero to the couch, making sure Tikki wouldn't be in his line of sight. _Adrien is, or was usually calm, collected, and not at all flirtatious._ "So. Why am I bestowed with your presence today, Chat Noir?" Marinette tried to speak in her sarcastic, normal tone that she usually spoke with him while as she sat himself down next to him.

"I came to talk to you about the advice you gave me," He said while turning to her. Chat blinked, and his cat-like pupils dilated.

Uh-oh.

She gulped. "And? How'd that go for you?"

He titled his head with his blonde locks dangling over to one side of his face. "What do you think?"

 _Unsuccessfully..._ She wanted to say, but he would then realize that Ladybug was her. "Well..?" Marinette said, but it came out more like a question.

Chat laughed into his fist. His shoulders shook, unable to suppress the happiness radiating off of him. It was rude of Marinette to think of this, but why was he so... Happy? Ladybug ran away from his reveal; how could he be smiling? Chat Noir looked up at her and decided to ask something. "Did I ever tell you the reason why I loved her so much?" His voice lowered, and his humorous tone dropped. His sudden change in subject caught her off guard.

Marinette's heart leaped off the treadmill and simply decided to take a ride on a roller coaster. "Um... No?" She answered cautiously, unsure of what was going to happen next.

He leaned forward in his seat, eager to tell her. His eyes brightened at the thought of Ladybug. "When we first met, I thought she was just a clumsy fool," He snickered. "She knocked me upside down by flying into me. Great first impression, wouldn't you say?"

"Yeah..." Marinette cringed at the thought, "Most definitely."

"I was worried for her. Would she be alright taking on the superhero role?" Chat continued, and Marinette shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "But the way she worked up the strength to fight against the Stoneheart, and when how she took down Hawk Moth's mass of butterflies... I knew she was the one. In those moments, she had already worked her way into my heart."

Marinette could feel a blush growing on her face, but she immediately covered her cheeks with her hands so Chat Noir couldn't see it.

"She had earned this air of confidence that I wish I could have. She allowed me to be my absolute self around her; not the false persona that everyone was expected of me."

Marinette felt a sinking feeling in her chest. He was a model and the son of a famous designer; how could he not have expectations to hold up? All this time, she was only seeing Adrien as someone he didn't want to be? She was... Loving the Adrien who didn't want to be that way.

"And she accepted me for who I was. No matter how much I annoyed her with terrible puns and jokes," He gave a small chuckle as if reminding himself of another quip. "I loved her for that." Chat Noir looked down at his hands and twiddling his thumbs. "And I still do."

If it were possible already, Marinette's heart would've burst into a million pieces due to Chat Noir's heartfelt confession. "Then why don't you tell her that, Chat?" Her voice dropped to a whisper. Her fists were in her lap, and they were shaking and clammy.

Chat Noir reached out with his gloved hand and took her left hand in his own. He then said three words that Marinette would've never expected:

"I already did."

If Marinette could feel more paralyzed, she would've already been admitted to the hospital. A dull thud pulsed in the back of her mind. _He knows_ , she thought, _wait_ , _he knows?!_ "W-Wha..." She reverted back to her stammering self. "Nonsense! I-I... Not am-! I mean, am not..."

He squeezed her hand while his cheeks puffed up, ready to let out another laugh. "I know it's you, Marinette," Chat Noir gave her a toothy smile. "I'm not as dense as I seem." He realized how tense she seemed, so as he placed his hands on her shoulders, she slouched and relaxed.

"Was... It obvious?" Marinette sighed, feeling a sense of stress begin to fade away. She didn't have to hide her identity from him anymore.

"I'm surprised I've never thought of it earlier," Chat inclined into her shoulder and Marinette's face felt like fire. Her arms seemed glued by her side; she wanted to hold him but having a mixture of emotions bubbling inside of her caused her to stop functioning as a human being. "You both have self-reliant, have amazing leader-like qualities, and most of all, you both have the same hairstyle!" He played at her pigtails like a cat mesmerized with a toy.

"Excuse me, but my kwami didn't add hair styles as one of my abilities," She finally let out a joke with her blush still very prominent on her face. She heard Tikki squeak angrily as the kwami got rid of the images and made the mental note to bring a whole batch of cookies for forgiveness.

"I just thought you were idolizing Ladybug like Chloé did," His chin rested on her shoulder. "But I was wrong; you actually were Ladybug."

"What gave everything away, then?" Marinette questioned, "If it wasn't any of those."

Chat stopped messing with her hair. "It was when you said, 'But that's not what I meant'; a dead giveaway, if you ask me."

Marinette hung her head in shame. "I'm sorry, Chat Noir. For hiding this between us; for breaking the red string; for everything, really."

"No," He said. A blinding flash came from the superhero, and Marinette looked away as her eyes stung from the light. In a few seconds, the light disappeared. He sat up; his costume now gone. "Adrien. You know who I am. Say it." The boy removed his hands from her shoulders and placed them against the sides of her face. His green eyes bore into her blue ones.

"A..." Her eyes broke the contact and looked down.

He leaned so close that their foreheads touched each other and the tips of their noses touched. "Say it," He repeated with his words as thin as his breath.

"A-Adrien," The poor girl barely managed to say while barely managing to keep her mentality. The syllables rolled off her tongue, and Adrien couldn't help but grin.

Without hesitation, he titled his head and closed the gap between them.

Their lips barely brushed and Adrien felt Marinette tense up under his hands. _She's so adorable,_ he thought and smiled against the kiss.

They broke away after a few seconds, although Adrien was very reluctant to do so. "You're... Okay with it being me?" Adrien asked, with his own cheeks colored rosy.

"O-Of course!" Marinette waved her arms, "I'm glad you it's, I mean, glad I'm it's you, wait..." She stopped talking, or else she was afraid that she'd be in an absolute stuttering mess (not like she was already). Her face was flushing to the point where it was the same color as Nathanael's hair.

She made him laugh so much; it was like a breath of fresh air whenever he was with her. And he loved it. He loved _her._ He was about to kiss her again, but they fumbled over which way they were going to turn and accidentally bonked their foreheads against each other. The two shared an embarrassing giggle before Adrien initiated another kiss. It was innocent and sweet, just like her. She relaxed into his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Plagg, the poor kwami that was trying to find the right timing, escaped from the two and floated next to Tikki, who was peeping from behind one of the wooden beams that supported Marinette's bed. "Nice to see you again, Cupcake," Plagg said, poking the spotted kwami's side. "I haven't seen you for a while."

"Plagg!" Tikki squealed and tackled Plagg. However, she immediately let go of him and crossed her arms, "I told you to stop calling me that ages ago!"

"We've been around for centuries; I'm obviously not going to remember everything," Plagg chortled.

Tikki sighed as she watched the couple hug each other, "I'm glad they finally got their happy ending; they deserved it."

"I don't know yet; he still hasn't tried out Camembert," Plagg complained. "Now that relationship can last forever. Well, until you digest it, that is."

At what nearly seemed like forever, the couple separated from their tight hug. They had to make up for all the times they turned each other away. "I really don't want to let you go, though," Adrien groaned. "But there's an important shoot that I'm scheduled to have."

"It's fine," Marinette said, still slightly dazed from their kiss. "But what are we going to do about the red string? Will that in any way affect our relationship..?"

He took her hand one more time and wrapped his pinky around hers. "We don't need fate to tell us what to do; as long as we have each other, nothing can get in our way," Adrien consoled her worried mind. He stood up, gesturing at Plagg to come over. The kwami reluctantly headed over their way. "Well, I'll be on my way, my Princess," He raised her hand up to his lips and pecked the back of her hand. Marinette would've already physically exploded and died at this point if it were possible; there was no denying it. He then let go of her hand and raised his own. "Plagg, transform me!"

"But I didn't have the chance to replenish my energy-!" Plagg flew into the boy's ring. Within moments, he was back into his superhero costume. He perched himself up on Marinette's window, but decided to turn around and give her a wave before jumping out.

Marinette waved at Chat as he left, yet felt a tug on her pinkie and took a step forward towards the window from the surprising force. She looked at her hand; seeing nothing there. She decided to push the feeling aside and went downstairs to grab that promised plate of cookies for her devoted kwami.

It simply turned out to be that the red string of fate was still bound around both of their fingers. It thought that it didn't need to be visible to them and that the two no longer needed its help while being capable of finding each other without it.

In the end, the string was there.

They just couldn't see it.

 **Finale.**


	12. Chapter 12 - conclusion

_"when you begin a journey of revenge, starting by digging two graves: one for your enemy, and one for yourself." - jodi picoult_

Hawk Moth was furious. He was absolutely furious. His whole body screamed the word furious. If he could describe his emotions into a human language, that's what he would've yelled to the ends of the Earth. He placed everything he had on the line, and in the end, it was completely fruitless. All his effort and hard work came back as nothing. The villain paced back and forth with his butterflies fluttering out of his way. His shoes tapped anxiously against the ground.

"That had to be the most useless Akuma of all time!" He punched his gloved fist against the wall. "I can't believe I wasted my precious time on it!" He immediately drew his hand back and held it in pain, but it wasn't as painful as knowing that he still didn't have his hands on the Miraculouses.

How long has this little game of charades been going on? A year, at most? His fingers dug through the fabric of the glove and dug into his palms as he squeezed his hands into fists. There was almost no time left. Almost no time to bring _her_ back.

Hawk Moth looked at his hand, especially at his pinky finger. There was no string tied around it and hasn't been for a while. Ever since then... He feared that the string wouldn't return if he didn't get the two Miraculouses soon.

A beeping sound came from the butterfly brooch which hung by his neck cut through his thoughts, and a small, purple, glowing ball came out of it. A lavender kwami with a pair of butterfly wings poking out of its back stretched its tiny arms in the air from exhaustion. A dark purple spiral was pasted on his forehead. "P-Please don't hurt yourself like that, Master," Nooroo said worriedly as he fluttered near his "master". "It is not the ignorant girl's fault for being incompetent-."

Hawk Moth, who reverted out of his transformation, snatched the small kwami out of the air and began to squeeze its body tightly. He hissed between clenched, grinding teeth, "So you're saying that _I'm_ the incompetent one?"

His grip was relentless. Nooroo could barely cough out an audible "no" before the man released him. The kwami clutched his neck and tried to rub the aches away.

Nooroo knew his master was experiencing a pain worse than he could ever feel and was only trying to relieve it by inflicting physical pain on the kwami, so he never spoke up against the abuse. And besides, he might have to go through _that_ again, and absolutely didn't want to experience something like it again. He felt shivers crawl up his arms.

Nooroo's mauve eyes followed his master who went back to pacing back and forth in his lair. The only thing that sliced through the silence was the constant beat of the butterflies' wings and the quiet taps from the man's shoes.

He could escape. Here and now, he could leave during his master's distress. But Hawk Moth still had the Moth Miraculous, and the reason behind why he needed Ladybug's and Chat's Miraculouses had the kwami rethink his thoughts.

Out of nowhere, his master paused his actions. He looked up at his closed window, and although he couldn't see anything, he must've felt something. A look of distaste and disappointment, no, _distress_ came over his face. His eyebrows knitted together out of frustration. His fists grew so tight that his fingernails began to break the skin on his palms.

"The two have finally connected, haven't they?" He bit his lip. The metallic taste of blood tickled his tongue and trickled down his throat. "They have learned about their string."

"Yes," Nooroo nodded his head as he slowly backed away from his master. "I can sense it. But you know, master, perhaps it would be best if we left them-."

The man silenced his kwami with a stomp of his foot. He held up his hand. Nooroo flinched in fear with his arms above his head for protection. His little wings quivered uncontrollably. "Why. Didn't. You. SAY SOMETHING?!" Each word was enunciated and laced with menace. "Now that they are together, there's no telling what may go wrong! What if one learns of the Miraculouses' secret and decides to wear both..!" His voice raised. "THEY WILL BE ABLE TO DEFEAT ME!"

Nooroo braced himself.

The man then pointed his index finger at the kwami and it dropped his hands with a sigh of relief. His voice fell into a whisper. "You know we don't have much time left. Go find the other kwamis. Make them believe you escaped from me. Get on their side. And when the time comes..." He drew back his hand and twisted the silver ring on his middle finger. "Take their Miraculous when they have their guard down. Do _not_ disappoint me."

Nooroo froze. He didn't want to. Helping someone use the Moth Miraculous for evil reasons was distressing enough, but betraying his friends' trust was the thing he didn't want to do the most. However, he knew; he knew very well that if he didn't comply with the rules, he would be punished severely. And that was the one thing Nooroo did not want to go through ever again. "Y-Yes, Master." The kwami bowed his head in regret before disappearing into a puff of purple smoke.

After watching his kwami vanish into thin air, the man took out a pair of silver glasses and perched them on the bridge of his nose, shifting the frame to make it more comfortable. He straightened out his white suit from invisible wrinkles by pushing down swiftly with the palms of his hands. He was ready, and would continue to be ready. A smirk played on his lips; it was an expression he hadn't worn for a while for he knew that this time, _this time,_ he would finally be successful.

"Then I guess it's time for me to cut their string and separate them once and for all."


End file.
